


The Soundtrack of My Summer

by hellograce111



Category: Austin & Ally, R5 (Band)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:01:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 38,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23691262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellograce111/pseuds/hellograce111
Summary: Emma thought she would never get to meet Ross Lynch, lead singer of pop band R5 and star of Disney Channel show Austin and Ally. Until she wins a sweepstakes to star on Austin and Ally and spend a week with the cast. Now she'll get to have the experience of a lifetime, but Emma could never expect how much of an impact one week, and one special guy, could have on her life.
Relationships: Ross Lynch/Original Female Character(s)





	1. Chapter 1

The boy stood just a few feet in front of her. While the girl stared down at his feet, she could feel his eyes on her, almost transfixed. She didn't need to look up to know who this was; perfectly flawless tan skin, amazing blond hair that seemed to fall just the right way without any extra effort, and soft brown eyes that seemed to resemble his kindness. The boy was gorgeous, and she was almost in shame to be standing in front of him.

"You could have any girl in the world, any girl that you want..." her words trailed off. She then realized that the boy was taking a step towards her, and then another one. "Yeah," his voice was so soft, so angleic. "but I want you."

He finally stood just inches away from her. Her eyes slowly began to shift upward, and a smile began to form on her face. She couldn't help but giggle out of the happiness she felt in this moment. "Ross..." she stilled searched for the words she wanted to say, knowing they wouldn't come out even if she tried to let them. Her eyes glanced up, seeing this amazing boy standing in front of her, his face just inches away from hers.

"There's nothing left to say..." he whispered into her ear. "Except that I'm crazy about you." She closed her eyes as Ross sweetly kissed her on the cheek. The feeling of that kiss was fantastic and breathtaking, and she couldn't believe the amazing amount of happiness she felt. That was when she opened her eyes to see reality, her dark bedroom only being lit by the morning daylight coming from outside.


	2. Chapter 2

Emma's eyes fluttered open, slowly at first, then quickly as she became more alert. She glanced around a bit, being sure to use as little effort as possible on account of how tired she was, still waking from her dream, then sighed. 'I can't believe I had that dream AGAIN.' she thought to herself, reaching for the digital clock perched on a bedside table. It was already nine o' clock ('It feels like it should only be six in the morning.' she thought.) Emma wasn't much for staying up late, but the night before had been an exception. It had been a Friday night, and since she rarely spent a Friday working on homework, she had spent a good portion of the evening texting her very recently-new boyfriend. His name was Jackson, a senior in their high school, and he had only asked her out a few days before. She was overjoyed to finally have her first official boyfriend, being seventeen now, the age that most teenagers have experienced dating thoroughly. However, this wasn't the only reason she had said yes to dating him, and Emma actually did like him. She'd known him for about a month before, when he was transferred into her math class and placed in the seat directly next to her. Emma had only given him the occasional help on a math problem for the first few days, but after a while the two seemed to hit it off. She could admit that she still didn't know much about the guy, but what did that matter? She was so glad to finally have someone who actually liked her back. It was so new to her.

As silly as it sounded, she had actually had a little crush on this boy she dreamed about the night before. Ross Lynch was his name. She had seen him for the first time on a television show on Disney Channel called Austin and Ally. Emma wouldn't normally watch the station, on account of she thought most of the shows on the channel were silly and childish. But while watching it for the first time, and seeing a performance by this attractive blond boy, she realized that he was actually talented. After a few hours of watching videos of him on Youtube, she learned that he was in a band with three of his siblings and one of his friends. 'He sounds like a total family guy.' she thought now, 'A dreamy, sweet family guy.' She smiled a little, but she still couldn't believe she had dreamed of the boy. 'I mean...' she played with the thought in her mind as she arose from her bed and stretched. 'Why did I have a dream about him? I'm dating someone now. I don't have to have silly little crushes on teenage heartthrobs that I'll never have a chance with, it's such a waste of my time anyway.' She was disappointed to think it, but it was true; there was only about a one in a million chance that she'd ever even get to MEET Ross Lynch. Emma decided to shake off the idea. No use getting upset over something that'll never happen, right?

Emma grabbed her phone, which sat on her bedside table where she'd left it just the night before, and read the words, "No New Messages." 'He must still be asleep.' Emma smiled. 'I guess he's the type who likes sleeping in late.' With that, she walked out of her still dark bedroom and made her way down the dim hallway to the stairs, making her way towards the kitchen downstairs. The room was lit, and her mom had just finished brewing a pot of coffee when Emma walked in. "Good morning, Darling." She said enthusiastically with a smile on a face. Emma had never understood how her mother could be so energetic some mornings, but she truly felt that it made herself a bit more motivated in the morning. She smiled in response. "Morning," she replied. "Thank goodness it's Saturday." Her mother laughed before passing her a warm mug of coffee with cream, something Emma would start every morning with. The two talked a bit about their plans for the day before Emma remembered that she had a few minutes left of an episode of Austin and Ally recorded on her DVR. She turned on the television perched on the counter in their kitchen, and seconds later the two were watching the show's ending.

Emma saw the blond boy that she just couldn't seem to get off of her mind show up on the screen, and tried to remind herself that she'd never get the chance to know him. The actor said something sweet to an actress in the show, a girl named Laura Marano. "Whoa," joked her mom. "now you should be dating a guy like that." Emma laughed at her mom's remark, knowing it'd probably be a dream come true to date that boy.

The show ended, and Emma was about to delete the recording when she heard an announcement begin after the credits. A man saying that you could get the chance to be in an episode of Austin and Ally, as well as meet and hang out with the cast of the show, and get an all expenses-paid trip to Hollywood, California. Emma's immediate thought was that there had to be thousands of girls signing up for this thing, hoping to get the chance to meet Ross Lynch. "You should sign up." Emma turned around to see her mom still smiling in between sips of her own coffee. "What? That's ridiculous. You know I wouldn't win." Emma half-laughed as she spoke to her mother, knowing how silly that idea was. The man on the screen even said that there'd only be two winners chosen, and both would get to star in the television show. But that was only two people. Out of thousands. Her mom shrugged before getting up and retrieving a piece of paper. She scribbled something down then handed the paper to her daughter. "It looks like that's the email address you use to enter into the contest. Just in case you change your mind."

Her mom went to wash some dishes, leaving her daughter to stare at the paper, and then the television screen. 'I know I wouldn't win,' Emma thought to herself. 'But wow, that'd be the chance of a lifetime. I'd get to be on television.' She smiled brightly at the thought, and couldn't help but think just how amazing that would be. Emma then made her decision. She picked up her coffee mug and headed back upstairs to her room. "I guess it couldn't hurt to sign up for this thing." she told her mom before going upstairs.

Only about a week later did the contest end, and Emma received an email saying that her name had been drawn and she was getting the chance to fly out to Hollywood to star in an episode of Austin and Ally. Her eyes widened, and she literally jumped in excitement. Emma had never won anything before, and that was what she immediately got excited over. She then realized that she was actually going to get to meet him. Ross Lynch, the blond boy from her dream.


	3. Chapter 3

"Dear Emma Goulding,

Congratulations, you've won an all-expense paid trip to come to Hollywood, California to be in an episode of the new hit television show of Disney Channel, Austin and Ally. While there you'll get to meet and hang out with the cast of the show, as well spend each night in a glamorous five-star hotel. Many other fun and exciting new activities await you! We'll see you soon!"

Emma read aloud a small part of the email to her mother and father, almost starting to jump up and down with excitement. "Oh my goodness." Her mom told her while hugging her. "I have to admit that I didn't think you'd actually win the contest. But boy, was I hoping you would!" Emma hugged her father as well, who seemed confused. "Why didn't I even know you were signed up for this contest? Didn't you think I might have something to say about you going to California all on your own?" He gave Emma a look, not completely on-board with the idea of his daughter traveling to another state entirely on her own, and spending an entire week there by herself. "But dad, I won't be all alone for the entire trip." She handed him the email, beginning to worry that her father wouldn't allow her to go.

"See? I'll get to hang out with the cast while I'm there, so really I'll be with a lot of other people for most of the trip. And I remember that the contest was supposed to have two winners, so I'll probably get to hang out with other winner a lot. Oh please, Dad? This would be the experience of a lifetime." Her dad appeared to be thinking as well as glancing at the email, and remained that way for a few minutes. All the while Emma looked at her father, trying to read his mind and see exactly what he was thinking.

He finally let out a sigh, and Emma's face lit up. She knew what that meant; yes, he'd let her go. "Thank you so much, mom and dad. I'm going to start packing right now." She gave her father a quick hug before rushing up to her bedroom. Emma was well-aware that she wouldn't even be leaving for another few weeks, but she couldn't help it; she could hardly sit still for a moment being so excited.

Her high school's spring break was fast-approaching, although it'd be a different week then the week she would be in California. She figured it wouldn't be much of a problem making-up all of the work she'd be missing in her classes from the trip, since she could just make it up over spring break. She kept all of this in mind as she packed for what would be gorgeous weather; jean shorts, athletic shorts, t-shirts and tank tops. She rarely wore tank tops alone in public, but she figured that she'd be going to Hollywood and most of the people there would be in similar attire. 'I don't want to dress like too much of a tourist.' she thought, realizing she'd probably need to buy a few more things before the trip. She glanced back at the email she'd printed out, which described certain things she may want to pack for. One particular event that stood out to her described a night of the trip being spent hanging out with Ross Lynch and his band at a small party celebrating the band just signing with it's first record deal. Emma's heart melted. "Oh my gosh." she said aloud, almost in disbelief that she, Emma Goulding, would get to go to a party with Ross and his band. She was still in shock that she'd even be getting to meet Ross Lynch, and now she was going to a party with him!

Emma's thoughts were interrupted once she heard her phone vibrate, and she saw the words "New message from Jackson" pop up on the screen. She smiled once, and tried to calm herself a bit before reading the boy's text. "Hey, congrats on winning that contest! I bet you'll have fun. Does this mean I won't get to see you for a week?" A frowny-face appeared at the end of the message, and Emma realized that it was true; she would be spending an entire week in California without Jackson. She was a bit disappointed. The two of them had gotten to know each other better since they'd started dating, and Emma knew not having his company for an entire week wouldn't make the trip nearly as fun as it would be with him coming with her. "I wish I could stash you in my suitcase ans bring you along," she texted with a smiley-face, then added, "I promise I'll text you everyday though, every chance I get." She pushed the send button, smiling as she did so. 'And don't worry,' she thought to herself. 'As cool as it's gonna be to meet Ross Lynch, I won't go crazy over him and break-up with you or something stupid like that. Besides, he'd never ever be into a girl like me.'

Before continuing to pack her things, Emma received another text from Jackson. "Okay, sounds good to me. And you know I'm not creative, so I'm just gonna ask you; will you go to prom with me?" 'Whoa.' Emma thought with a giant smile on her face. 'Best. Day. Ever.'


	4. Chapter 4

"Emma!" Emma turned in the direction of the voice, seeing one of very best friends, Jennifer, running down the school hallway. "Oh my goodness, just one more day!" she gave her friend a big congratulatory hug, having realized that her friend would be leaving in just another day. While some of Emma's friends were also congratulatory to her winning a contest and getting the chance to be on television, they didn't seem to think it was nearly as exciting as Jennifer thought it was. Jennifer only got so excited because she shared a mutual love for R5, the band Ross performed in, and the blond boy himself.

Emma laughed at her enthusiastic friend. "Oh my gosh, Jen. I would totally take you along with me if I could, I know you would love it." Emma replied happily, getting even more psyched for the trip each time someone mentioned it to her. Three weeks had passed before Emma's eyes, and the following morning she'd be waking up bright and early to get on a plane headed to Hollywood, California. She'd had her clothes packed for the past two weeks, and she had purchased several new garments for the trip with a few of her paychecks from her job at Forever 21. She now owned three new pairs of jeans shorts, a new swimsuit, some summery tops and a dress for the party she'd be getting to go to the final night of the trip. Shopping for everything wasn't much of a hassle, since Emma loved to go shopping, even though she didn't do it often on account of being careful with how much money she spent. She felt it would be alright to splurge a bit on clothes for this trip, though, since it was going to be the experience of a lifetime.

"Do you have what you're going to wear tomorrow picked out already? You need to look cute when you see Ross for the first time." Jennifer hadn't seemed to stop talking about Ross since Emma told her about the trip. But Emma hadn't really minded all that much; she kind of liked listening to her friend talk about the boy. "Yes, I have something picked out. Hopefully I'll look okay. But, hey," she told her friend. "when I meet Ross for the first time, I want to act as normal as possible, and look normal, too. I mean, he's just a normal teenager too, right?" Jennifer immidiatly shook her head, seeming to think Ross was some kind of idol that never be seen as the same as us. "Normal? I don't think so. I mean, he's gorgeous, talented, dreamy. Did I mention gorgeous?" Jennifer had never seemed to fail at getting Emma to laugh. "Okay," Emma said in between chuckles. "So I guess he is pretty talented and everything. What about 'sweet?'" Emma had always thought that, while watching him on Austin and Ally, he seemed like one of the nicest guys she could imagine. But even then she wondered if it was all just acting, and if in reality he was really a jerk. "Sweet? Hmm, didn't think about that one." She gave it some thought before answering. "I don't know if he'll be nice. I mean, it seems like he spends so much time being surrounded by screaming fans, that he might just hate most of them. And you know, you can never trust the guy you see on the television compared to the guy in reality." She frowned, realizing she probably sounded like she had lost faith in Ross Lynch. "I sure hope he's a sweetheart though. Or at least he turns into one before him and I get married." She laughed along with Emma as the warning bell for morning classes rang. The two said their farewells before heading to class. 'I never really thought about it before,' Emma thought as she made her way through the crowded high school hallways. "But what if Ross Lynch really is a total jerk? And Jen is right, you can never trust the guy you see on TV.'

Emma walked into her first block class, Math class, and saw the guy she had been dating for just over three weeks. Jackson smiled towards her as she made her way to the desk next to him. "Good morning." he said sweetly, giving her a quick hug before the second bell rang and class began. 'But who really cares if Ross turns out to be a jerk?' Emma thought as she took her seat, her face feeling warm from happiness of being next to her boyfriend. 'I've got the only boy I'll ever need sitting right next to me.'


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, at about 3:30 AM, Emma's alarm went off. She groaned aggressively, pressed the snooze button three times, and eventually got out of bed at 4 o' clock. Though she could hardly walk in a straight line with how tired she was, she realized this couldn't be a put-up-your-hair-and-go kind of day. 'Whoa,' she smiled while looking in her bathroom mirror at the tired-eyed reflection. 'I'm going to meet Ross Lynch today. The Ross Lynch.' Though Emma had told herself time and time again that she did have a boyfriend, and she was incredibly happy with him, she couldn't help but get excited to finally be meeting this boy. And she really did want to look at least half-way decent for the first time they met. 'I don't want to look like I'm completely trying too hard, but I also don't want to look like an unprofessional bum.' She decided to straighten her hair, since straightened hair seemed to look more formal, at least to her, compared to her usual curly hair. Her natural hair, which on its own would become loose curls, also looked nice when she could control it. She only believed that straight hair was more chic. Emma had decided the night before what she wanted to wear that day; a cute and flattering pair of jeans and a comfy, cream-colored mid-length sleeve top with a looser fit and a wide neck. She believed the outfit looked nice but not overboard, just what she needed.

After grabbing her phone, purse she'd be using that week (even though she wasn't much of a purse-person,) a pair of sandals and her fleece jacket for the flight, she made a run for the kitchen. Her father awaited her downstairs, looking just as tired as she must of looked, prepared to drive her to the airport. Her parents had agreed that it would be alright for her to rent a car while in California, since she'd had her license for about a month. Emma was overjoyed when she heard this decision, since she couldn't wait for her parents to give her more freedom. Now, Emma had grabbed a travel mug, filled it with coffee and cream, and grabbed a granola bar for the road. "Ready?" she asked her dad, trying to catch her breathe from scrambling all over the place. He laughed at her lightly before picking up her rather heavy suitcase. "Ready. Are you getting excited?" Though Emma was still waking up very slowly, she was awake enough to smile brightly. "You have no idea."

The flight to the airport in Los Angeles was surprisingly short, only lasting about four hours. Emma had never been to California before, and she almost couldn't believe what she saw when she arrived. Beautiful buildings, palm trees, and a lot of sunshine. She could feel herself shaking as she exited the plane, becoming more excited by the minute. The airport itself was nice and glamorous, Emma assumed much like the people of LA. She decided not to take too much extra time, since she was expected to be at the studio around 2 o' clock, and it was already noon. She didn't know much about Los Angeles, like what the traffic was like, but she figured she'd better leave early on account of how bad her sense of direction was, and how long it'd probably take her to find the studio. Emma hunted down her luggage, which alone took a good fifteen minutes, then checked out her rental car. The car she had received was a silver two-door Honda Civic, which didn't seem too bad at all. Finally, with a big smile on her face, Emma packed her luggage into the car and drove to the studio.

The drive ended up taking longer than she thought it would have, and she had asked for directions at least three times. But she had made it; the studio where Austin and Ally was recorded, in Hollywood, California. She parked in an empty spot before skimming the detailed email she had received from the contest's creator, reading that when she arrived, she'd need to find the show's director. Realizing it was already 2:20, she took a deep breath and exited the car. The air felt warm and comporting, with a refreshing breeze, and it seemed to put Emma's mind a bit more at rest while she entered the building.

The studio was huge, and filled with people, and Emma wondered what studios with even bigger sets and a bigger cast must of looked like. There was plenty going on, people moving about preparing for the show. Emma got a glimpse of the store that Laura Marano, or "Ally" of the the show, worked in. 'Wow.' Emma couldn't help but think, staring in awe of the multiple large sets. She must of been pretty focused on everything else, since she ran into another person. "Oh... my gosh." she said, immediately returning from being zoned out. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to run into you."

Emma hadn't gotten a very good look at the person before apologizing, but she almost couldn't speak when she did realize who it was. A boy. He turned around, away from another person he must of been speaking to. And Emma couldn't believe she was finally seeing him. Blonde hair. Kind, forgiving eyes. A sweet, soft smile. "That's okay, don't worry about it." His voice was just as angelic as it was in his band's music. It took Emma a moment to realize she probably looked like an idiot just staring at this boy, and she finally looked down for a second, regained some confidence, and looked him in the eyes. "You're, uh... Ross Lynch." Though she assumed most of his fans probably called him by his full name the first time they met him, Emma just couldn't think of what else to say. He laughed lightly, realizing she seemed nervous. "Yeah, that's me. And you are?" 'Whoa,' Emma thought. 'So far, he seems like a pretty friendly guy. Maybe he won't be a jerk like I thought.' "My name's Emma. I'm, umm, one of the contest winners..." Ross' face seemed to brighten just a bit when she said this. He said a quick, "I'll talk to you later" to the friend he had been speaking to, then turned back to Emma. "Really? That's so cool, congrats on winning." He held out a hand politely. "And it's nice to meet you." Emma shook his hand, taking note on how good his manners were. "It's nice to meet you, too." she smiled kindly, almost overwhelmed with excitement that she was finally getting to talk to the one and only Ross Lynch. Still, even though she was excited, she realized that it felt like talking to a normal person. He seemed just like many of the guys at her high school, except more mature and polite.

"So, have you met the other contest winner yet?" Emma asked, almost completely forgetting that she needed to find the show's director. Ross wasn't exactly making any effort to get back to work though. "I was actually about to ask you the same thing," he laughed an adorable, and truly cute smile. "I haven't seen her yet, I thought maybe you had. Do you need any help finding her?" 'Whoa, Ross Lynch is offering to help my find the other contest winner.' Emma realized she probably needed to quit calling him Ross Lynch, and just Ross. "No, actually, I really just need to find the director. Do you know where he is?" "Oh, yeah, sure." She figured it was easier for him to see over most of the people in the studio, since he stood at least six inches taller than Emma. It didn't take him long to find the man, and Ross pointed out the direction he was in. "Over there, in the blue jeans and green button-up, that's him. I can walk you over there." Emma almost couldn't believe how nice he was being to her, and figured he must of been raised to have good manners. She also knew he was younger than her, by about eight or nine months, making his manners seem even more impressive. "That's okay, I think I see him," she replied, noticing a man in a green shirt near the camera equipment. "And thanks. I guess I'll see you later?" 'I sure hope I see you later.' she thought. "Yeah, see ya." He smiled before also walking off, probably getting back to work.

'Wow I can officially say I've talked to Ross Lynch.' Emma thought as she made her way towards a busy-looking director. 'I better text Jen later. And let her know that Ross is, in fact, a really nice guy.'


	6. Chapter 6

"You're Emma? Nice to meet you." The director spoke kindly to Emma once she had introduced herself to him. She was now standing next to the set of the music store that Ally worked at in the television show, and Emma couldn't help herself from wanting to check out the entire stage right then. "By the way, congratulations on winning the contest. And you can call me Brian." Brian looked like a younger man, probably in his late 20s, and Emma was surprised at how well he was doing in the television business at such a young age. "Now the other contest winner should be here any minute. Then I'll give both of you your scripts for the episode and I'll need to get back to work. We'll begin shooting for the next episode tomorrow."

As Brian finished speaking to Emma, she heard someone speaking from behind her. She turned to see another teenage girl, probably around fifteen or sixteen years old, asking a woman where the director was. 'She must be the other contest winner,' Emma thought and put on a friendly smile, trying to make a good first impression. This girl would be working with her, after all. "Right over here," Brian said, motioning her towards Emma and himself. She appeared embarrassed when she realized she'd been standing so close by to the director already. "Ahh." She laughed at herself, making her way to the two. "Sorry I'm running a little late, got lost on the way over here." The girl appeared to be very outgoing and friendly, and Emma already believed the two of them would get along well.

"It's fine." Brian replied, still speaking kindly like he had before. "You can call me Brian. And this is your fellow contest winner, and the girl you'll be working with on the show, Emma Goulding." "Ohh, really? So great to meet you! My name's Samantha Hawthorne." Samantha shook Emma's hand, appearing even more excited to be there than Emma was, although Emma was incredibly psyched. Emma still couldn't help but think in the back of her mind that this girl might be trying too hard, and that she was putting on a bit of an act.

"Fantastic. So now that everyone's here, I can show you two to the guest dressing room you'll be using for the next few days. Someone will bring you your scripts so you began rehearsing. If you'll just followed me." Brian patted another man on the shoulder and told him he'd back back shortly, then motioned for Emma and Samantha to follow. The three walked through the crowd and into one of the side hallways joining to the set room. Emma could hardly believe her eyes when she saw the dressing rooms of Laura Marano, Ross Lynch, Raini Rodriguez, and Calum Worthy, the four big stars of the show. Each room had a large star on it with the actor's name in big letter, looking very polished and glamorous.

The three finally came to a door that read, "Guest Star" on the front, and Emma knew she'd need to take a photo of the door later while no one was watching, so that nobody would think she was a complete dork. Inside the room were multiple mirrors, a couple of clothing racks already containing outfits to be worn during the show, and a few chairs sitting in front of the mirrors. Though to any real actor it probably wouldn't look like much, Emma was overjoyed to see a dressing room just for herself and Samantha. "Whoa, this is so cool." Emma said, looking around, particularly at the clothes she'd be getting to wear. "Glad you both like it," Brian replied, already making his way back towards the door, of course having to get right back to work. "Now I'll send someone in here with your scripts as soon as possible. You two will get about an hour to run through lines then you're free to go to your hotel or do pretty much whatever you want." Brian smiled, seeing the excitement in the faces of the two girls. "Thank you very much!" Emma replied before he left, Samantha saying thank you as well enthusiastically. Brian waved and left the two, leaving the room in near silence.

"Wow, this is something else." Emma told the girl. Emma tried to be friendly, still not completely sure if this girl was acting or was actually nice. "Yeah, it's really cool." she responded. "But oh my gosh, I can NOT wait to meet Ross Lynch!" 'Ohhh,' Emma thought. 'she's one of those girls. Hopefully she won't be obsessing over him the whole time we're here.' Emma took a seat in one of the chairs. "Yeah, he is pretty cool. And a nice guy, too." Emma couldn't help but thinking of her conversation with the boy earlier, feeling her face become warm and probably turn pink. "Wait, you mean you've actually met him? THE Ross Lynch?" Emma now had Samantha's full attention, and she took a seat as well. From closer up, Emma could see that Samantha wore rather expensive-looking clothing. Emma didn't like to feel jealous of people, but her clothes did look a bit nicer than Emma's. Her hair also looked straight and chic, and Emma just accepted that Samantha was probably a bit prettier than herself. "Oh, well just earlier today when I got here, that was the only time I've ever talked to him." Samantha sighed, a sigh of relief, actually. "Oh, well that's good." Emma was confused. "Is it?" she asked, not getting exactly what Samantha was referring. "Oh, well, yes. I just mean, oh, how should I put this?" She thought for a moment before explaining. "Do you like Ross? Like, really like him?" 'Oh, that must be it.' Emma thought. 'She must have a little crush on Ross or something.' "I have a boyfriend actually." Emma explained. "Why, do you have a little thing for Ross or something? That's really cute actually." Emma hoped that she hadn't sounded like she was speaking to a child, since that might not make such a great first impression. "A little thing? I'd say a HUGE thing. I've been waiting for this day since I was twelve." She grinned excitedly, looking she couldn't wait at all to meet Ross. Then she said something a bit surprising. "So, if you know what's good for you, you keep your distance from Ross. I mean, you seem nice and everything, but I just don't want anything coming in between Ross and I." Emma about busted out laughing, but decided that might be a bad idea. She just smiled at the girl. 'I knew she was trying to hard to be nice. She just wants me to stay out of her way.' Emma thought about how much she sounded like a little thirteen year old starstruck obsessed girl when a woman arrived with the two girl's scripts.

The two had been rehearsing their lines for about an hour before Ross knocked and came into their dressing room. Emma smiled, while she was sure Samantha nearly had a heart attack. "Oh my goodness! It's really you, you're Ross Lynch!" she ran to the boy and nearly jumped on him, giving him a huge hug. Emma could tell Ross was used to girls like this, but she was sure he didn't like them. "Haha, that's me. It's nice to meet you." He smiled hesitantly at Emma, and she laughed at his facial expression. "Oh, I didn't even introduce myself." Samantha unwrapped her arms from around Ross's neck but remained right next to him. "I'm Samantha Hawthorne, one of the contest winners. I guess you've already met Emma." Emma couldn't help but notice the way Samantha said her name, as if the very word irritated her. "Oh, you're the other contest winner? That's cool. And yeah, I met her earlier." He walked around Samantha and over to Emma, who still remained sitting casually in her seat. "How are you guys liking the set so far? Pretty cool, right?" He asked. Ross didn't seem like he was just making small talk. He looked like he genuinely wanted to know what the girls thought of everything, what they thought of the place he spent days a week at. "It's all really, really neat." Emma said, remembering what Samantha said about staying away from Ross, then disregarding it. "It must be so cool coming to a place like this, and living in Hollywood, too." Emma could only dream of what a day of Ross's life was like, and she couldn't wait to get a feel of what it was like. Ross smiled at her, the sweet, kind and dreamy smile he wore earlier. "Yeah, it is really cool. My favorite thing about living here is that each day is never the same as the one before. It really keeps things from getting dull, you know?"

Samantha decided to take this moment to step in between the two, getting Ross's attention away from Emma and back onto herself. "So, Ross, do you think I could maybe come hang out at your house later? Meet your family and stuff?" 'Whoa, I don't think this girl is gonna give up.' Emma thought. 'Whatever. If Ross and I aren't talking to each other 24/7, it's not a big deal.' Emma knew Ross had to be way too nice of a guy to tun her down, and had to say yes. "Sure, you can come hang out." He looked up and back to Emma. "You want to come too, Emma?" She couldn't help but think how adorable he sounded when he said her name, or when he said anyone's name, or really said anything at all. "Actually, I think I may just head back to my hotel after this. Long day, you know? Plus I got no sleep on that plane ride this morning." Ross actually looked disappointed that she wouldn't be joining them, probably since she wasn't an obsessed fan like Samantha was. "Okay, well if you change your mind you can always come by. My house is only like a mile away from your hotel. By the way, Brian wanted me to tell you guys that we're all finished with filming for the day and you guys are free to head out whenever you want."

Samantha made her plans with Ross for hanging out while Emma said her goodbyes to the two. "I'll give you a call later to check up on you, Emma. Brian gave me both of your numbers, just for making sure you guys are doing okay and everything." 'Whoa, Ross Lynch is gonna call me later.' Emma couldn't help but feel extremely cool as she agreed and left the two, heading out to her car and soon her hotel. So far, this had been one of the greatest days of Emma's life, and she felt like it was only going to get better.


	7. Chapter 7

Emma drove her rented Honda Civic through the streets of Hollywood, which had only gotten busier since earlier that morning. Emma knew that Hollywood at night must have been crazy with parties and special events, and she loved the thought of it. So far she'd loved every second of the trip. The gorgeous weather, palm trees, a soft breeze coming through her open car window. The people on the street, walking about just as they probably did everyday, most women in high heels and men in classy clothes. The several huge houses that probably belonged to famous actors or celebrities. Emma imagined herself as a celebrity, walking the streets of Los Angeles, and she could only imagine how amazing that'd be.

Emma finished her little daydream just as she pulled into the parking lot of the glamorous hotel she'd be staying at. She could almost not believe her eyes, and stared in awe at the huge building. It was glitzy and gorgeous, just like every other building in LA. 'I bet the inside in just as amazing.' She pulled up to the curb near the front entrance of the hotel, where a few men in uniforms stood outside. One offered to park her car while another two offered to carry her luggage to her room. She couldn't decline, knowing this would be her once in a lifetime chance at getting such special attention. As Emma got out of her car, she thought of everything she'd need to tell Jackson about later, and she decided she'd text him when she got into her hotel room. She was sure he'd love to hear all about how the trip was going.

Just as she had expected, the inside of the hotel was just as glamorous as the outside. The lobby was huge, with a huge crystal chandelier hanging in the direct center of the room. There were expensive chairs and couches placed here and there throughout the lobby, and a few around an extravagant-looking fireplace. Emma spotted the front desk, which was perched to the left of the entrance, and excitedly but coolly walked over to get herself checked-in. The employees working were kind and helpful, which she had appreciated since she'd never checked herself into a hotel before. They told her about the pool and workout room and other things that she may be interested in before handing over her room key. The men carrying her luggage lead the way to the room she'd be in, which was only down the hall from the lobby. Emma hadn't realized she'd probably need to tip these men until they placed her bags just outside of her hotel room door. She handed them each a ten dollar bill with some regret, then decided she wouldn't be asking for anymore help with luggage.

Although the hotel room was for one, it contained a huge bed, a small kitchen space, and a really nice bathroom. Emma toured the room a bit, almost unable to believe she was actually there. She finally plopped down on the bed, getting a feel of the soft, comfy bed covers. "This is almost too good to be true." Emma said to herself, and remembered that she was going to text Jackson. She pulled out her phone and typed up a message telling Jackson she'd arrived in Los Angeles just a few hours before and so far she was loving it and only wished that he was there with her. Emma pressed the send button and placed her face atop the bed covers once again, feeling drowsy although it was only about six in the evening.

Emma hadn't realized she'd fallen asleep until she awoke to the sound of a phone ringing, and realized that her hotel room phone was ringing. She struggled to move from her spot on the bed, still waking up from her nap, but managed to get to the phone on the dresses next to the bed. "Hello?" she tried to speak in the least drowsy voice possible, though she was sure that wasn't working well. "Hey, it's Ross. I didn't wake you up, did I?" "Oh, Hey." she responded. "Actually..." she laughed at herself lightly. "I think I did fall asleep. I'm not even sure how that happened." Ross laughed at her as well, his laugh charming. "Really? Well I'm sorry. I just wanted to see how you were doing." 'Aww, he wants to see how I'm doing.' Emma thought in a silly way, before replying to him. "I'm doing good. You should see this hotel I'm staying it, it's really neat. How's hanging out with Samantha?" she hoped she hadn't used a tone when she said Samantha's name. That'd make her sound just like the other girl, just as much like an immature thirteen year old. "Umm, it's okay." He tried to say nicely, and Emma thought she was probably still hanging out with him. "She's in the kitchen right now talking to Riker. She's been hanging out with us for a while, and she's actually been pretty nice. Honestly, my first impression of her made me think I wouldn't like her, but now I'm starting to think she's okay." Emma was a bit surprised at the way he talked to her. It was kind of like the way friends that have known each other for years would talk to each other, and she wondered if this was they way he spoke to everyone.

"Really? Well that's good. I think she's okay, too." Emma glanced down at her phone as she was speaking, and realized she'd gotten a new text message. Her heart seemed to skip a beat and she couldn't wait to hear from Jackson for the first time that day. "Just a second, Ross, I have to read this text." Emma excitedly picked up the phone, knowing just who the message would be from. And nothing could have prepared her for what she read.

"I don't care. I'm getting tired of this. And you. Things are just getting way too boring, and I have needs. I want to break up."


	8. Chapter 8

Nothing. Emma heard nothing. Felt nothing. She couldn't get a hold of her thoughts. She remained sitting on the bedspread in her hotel room, staring at the screen of her phone. She read through it again, and then once more. "Oh... my gosh..." Emma said to herself, entirely forgetting that the hotel room telephone still remained next to her ear and Ross was still on the other end of the line. She almost didn't realize that Ross was speaking to her. "Emma? What's wrong? What happened?" Emma blinked a few times and shook her head a bit, trying to escape from the complete shock that she was in. "Umm..." She couldn't speak. She was at a lost for words. How could she tell him what happened, when she herself was almost unsure. Because really, how could everything between them be...

"Over." Emma felt her throat swell, and her head spin. "It's over. My boyfriend... he sent me a text." Why was it becoming so difficult to even speak? Emma's hands began to shake lightly. "He said..." Emma took a deep breath. She didn't want to say it. Maybe if she didn't say it, it wouldn't be true.

"He said... he wants to break up with me." Then it hit her. It felt like she had just been hit. By a car. Something heavy. Something that weighed her down. That made her want to fall to the floor in defeat.

The other end of the telephone was quiet for a few seconds, before Ross began, in a truly shocked tone, "Oh my gosh. Are you okay? I'm so sorry." Emma got that feeling you had just before breaking down. Her throat became dry, her eyes heavy, her heart sunk. "Maybe I should call you back." Emma began to take the phone away from ear before she heard someone speak up. "Wait, don't hang up. Do you want to talk about it? I can come over there." 'Come over?' Emma's thoughts were just beginning to line up again. But barely, since she still couldn't think of why it happened. Why he had decided to dump her. "N-No. Really, y-you don't have to do that. Really." Emma knew her voice must of sounded very unconvincing. Weak, feeble. Just like how she felt right then. "Yeah, I do. I live just down the street from the hotel. Just give me a few minutes, I'll come over. We can talk, okay?" Although Emma really didn't want him to go to the trouble of coming over, she knew at the same time that she wanted very much not to be left alone. "Um... y-yeah, okay. I guess that'd be fine." "Meet me in the lobby? In five?" Emma said a barely audibly "Okay" before hanging up the phone. 'Five minutes. Of being alone.' The weight Emma had felt previously was only getting heavier. Her throat drier. Her heart felt so low in the her chest that she wondered if it would just disintegrate and become nothing, just like how it felt then.

The following five minutes were the slowest few minutes of her life. She remained on the bed, wondering if she could even move. She shook her head again, blinked a few times more, and finally slid her feet to the side of the bed. When she stepped onto the floor, the carpet chilled her feet, although when she had walked on it previously it brought comfort to her feet. She put what felt like great effort into slipping into a pair of running short, a t-shirt and sweatshirt before opening the door to her room.

She hadn't even spent a minute in the lobby before the blonde-haired boy walked inside. She was somewhat surprised to see that he didn't have his hood up or sunglasses on, or some sort or disguise that would make him more difficult to recognize. He wore worn jeans and a zip-up hoodie, but Emma couldn't pay any attention to how good he looked. She only wanted to go back inside of her hotel room, away from the large, open lobby, and away from any people. Emma could admit, though, that she did feel a small amount of the heavy weight she felt before being lifted from her when she saw Ross's kind smile. "Hey." he said, walking right up to Emma, not even bothering to look around first to make sure no one was watching him. "Hey." Emma replied quietly, not looking Ross in the eyes. "Could we go back to my room? Too many people around." Ross looked at her for a moment, concern in his eyes, and he nodded. "Yeah, sure. Lead the way." Emma turned around and made her way towards the hallway her room in, Ross following behind. There happened to be a teenage couple sitting on a couch nearby, holding hands and sitting closely to each other. Emma so wished that she hadn't noticed the couple, but once she saw them she couldn't seem to erase the picture from her mind. She envied them, and the feeling of being near the special guy. Jackson. "Come on." Ross said when Emma became distracted by the couple and almost walked into a wall. Ross lightly took Emma's wrist, which she hardly noticed with her mind still absorbed, and took the lead down the hallway.

Emma stopped when they got to the room, and opened the door, leaving it open for Ross. He glanced down the hallway each way before entering, and Emma didn't blame him. The things she heard about paparazzi these days was insane, and she didn't want Ross to get into any sort of trouble. When Emma got inside, she collapsed onto the bed, the weight she felt dragging her down once again. "Okay," Ross propped himself onto the bed as well, keeping a bit of distance between himself and Emma. "So tell me about it. What happened?" Emma turned onto her side, still not looking at Ross but just at different parts of the room. Then, surprisingly enough, she laughed lightly. "You know," she smiled a bit. "...I wish I knew. I mean..." she decided to look up at him this time. "everything was going well, you know? I don't even know what happened." She felt as though she may cry soon, but she really didn't want to. She rarely cried in front of others, and if she did the person was usually her mom. "You know what," his smile started to fade a bit. "I actually do get it." He paused before going on. "I've dated girls, I wouldn't say quite a few but some, and believe it or not, I've been dumped before." he joked, his smile come back to his face, and Emma smiled lightly. "And there have been a couple of relationships that I would go sit down and think, 'Why? What went wrong?' And I'd never be able to figure it out." He looked down at the bed sheets. "I'm still trying to figure it out." Emma's mind lifted a bit from just being about Jackson. "Really?" she asked, looking at Ross again, still lying down on her side. "There a particular relationship you're thinking of?" He continued to look down at the bed, thinking. Then he nodded. "Yeah... Yeah, there is." Emma looked up at his face, then sat upright on the bed. "Okay, tell me about it."

Ross started to tell Emma about his ex-girlfriend. They had dated for about ten months, and Ross explained that it was the longest relationship he had been in. All had seemed to be going well, he explained, and he had been the happiest he had felt in a while. "And then one day..." he trailed off and frowned, looking around the room. "And then it was over...?" Emma asked. "Just like that? She didn't even tell you why she want to break up?" Ross shook his head. "My best guess was that there could be another guy, but I never knew for sure. Now, I just wish I knew what went so wrong... that it had to end." Emma looked at Ross's usually upbeat and cheerful face, now saddened and confused, and truly... heartbroken. "Ross, I'm so sorry." Emma paused. "You know, my best guess for the reason Jackson wanted to break up was that I never kissed him since I've never had my first kiss." Emma was surprised at herself for sharing that, but she felt like she could trust Ross with it, like he wouldn't judge. "Really? How could someone dump you because you wouldn't kiss them? That insane. And you shouldn't worry about a guy like that, honestly." Ross added, looking now from the wall to Emma again. Emma nodded. "Yeah." she said quietly. "It just sucks, you know." Ross laughed lightly, and the tension in the room felt slim. "Yeah." Ross said. "Yeah, it kinda does suck sometimes."


	9. Chapter 9

Little recap of last chapter:

"You know, my best guess for the reason Jackson wanted to break up was that I never kissed him since I've never had my first kiss." Emma was surprised at herself for sharing that, but she felt like she could trust Ross with it, like he wouldn't judge. "Really? How could someone dump you because you wouldn't kiss them? That insane. And you shouldn't worry about a guy like that, honestly." Ross added, looking now from the wall to Emma again. Emma nodded. "Yeah." she said quietly. "It just sucks, you know." Ross laughed lightly, and the tension in the room felt slim. "Yeah." Ross said. "Yeah, it kinda does suck sometimes."

Ross shared a bit more information on his ex-girlfriend. He told Emma her name, Brittany, and that she had done some modelling while they were dating. Emma slightly wished that he hadn't shared that she was a model. Sure, Emma thought she herself was pretty, but she often couldn't help but compare herself to other girls. It was a bad habit that she new she needed to work on, but it was difficult since the only guy that had ever called her beautiful was her dad. 'Jackson never even told me that once.' she thought with some disappointment as Ross continued. He added that he always thought Brittany was pretty, like most guys would normally say about their girlfriends, but his parents and family had always told him while growing up that it's what's on the inside that matters. Emma smiled, already knowing she'd like Ross's family before even meeting any of them. It sounded like he'd been raised the right way. Emma felt even better after Ross told her that he and Brittany hadn't kissed until they'd been dating for just over six months, and explained that he just really wanted to wait until they both thought the time was right. Even as Emma listened to him telling her all about this girl, she could tell that he was still far from over her. He sounded like he was still crazy about her, and Emma wished there was something she could do to make him feel a little less brokenhearted.

The conversation eventually came back to Jackson, and Emma told Ross more about the guy. As she was talking about him, she realized there actually wasn't much she did know about Jackson. She knew he played soccer, he kept pretty decent grades, and he had an amazing smile. And she knew the feeling of her heart skipping a beat each time he sent her a text. She told Ross all of this, and surprisingly enough to her, he seemed to be listening to everything she told him. 'Who knows if Jackson even listened to the things I talked to him about.' Emma thought. The two continued to talk, with a few laughs and funny stories about their exes here and there, as they both lied on their stomachs on the bedspread. The two didn't directly face each other, and they had a good couple of feet between each other. That didn't last long, though, since they both dosed off around eight o' clock. And Emma, who had the problem of moving around a lot while she slept, ended up curled up with the backside of her head against Ross's chest, his zip-up jacket making for a pretty soft sort of pillow to her head.

A few minutes after ten o' clock that night, Emma awoke to the sound of a phone vibrating and realized that it was Ross's phone. She hadn't realized until then that her head had been resting against Ross's chest, and she immidiatly moved over a few inches, her face turning slightly red with some embarrassment. Ross must of woken up as well from the phone vibration, and he had hardly seemed to notice Emma backing up when he checked his phone. "Oh, shoot." he said aloud before getting up. He looked down at Emma, hoping that his phone hadn't woken her up but it had. "Hey, sorry I woke you up. I have to get going, my parents will kill me if I miss my curfew." He told her as he reached over the side of the bed and grabbed his shoes. "Oh, okay. Here, I'll walk you out." she said as she made an effort to pick herself up from the bed, but Ross stopped her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "No, don't get up. I know my way out." He smiled lightly, which was just a little bit cuter with the fact that his blonde hair was a bit messy from sleeping on it. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" He hardly waited a second for her to reply before getting up. "Hey, Ross." The boy turned to Emma. "Thanks." she tried to smile, and he smiled back before heading for the door, slipping his shoes on before going.

Emma watched him for a second before noticing that her cell phone screen was dimly lit, and read that had received a new text. From Jackson. She quickly made a grab for the phone, thinking that maybe, just maybe, he was going to apologize and say he wanted to get back together. And boy, was she wrong. "By the way, I thought I'd be nice and tell you why I want to break up. I found someone else, and she's a lot less boring than you. Plus, we've already kissed. But hey, you can look at the bright side of this; now you can get with that Ross guy you talked about like the entire past two weeks. Unless you're afraid of kissing him too, then I guess you're screwed. Bye loser." Ross's hand was turning the doorknob when he heard that sound of Emma's cellphone being thrown against the wall. He turned to see her sitting on the bed, her face frustrated and tearing up immidiatly. She couldn't bottle any of it up any longer. "That complete jackass, pathetic excuse for a guy!" she shouted, not caring who heard her, her voice already getting choked up from the tear's running down her face. Not even a second later, Ross had him arms tightly wrapped around her, though she tried to push him away. "No, you don't get it! What kind of a person would say that?!" she said through gritted teeth, her face turning pink and rough from tears. "Hey!" Ross said loudly so that she'd listen to him. "Hey, hey, hey." he said more quietly with a sort of urgency in a voice, trying to get her to quiet down before someone heard her. Emma finally looked up at Ross's concerned face, her own face streaked with tears and still angered. Her face started to lighten up, and went from anger to only sadness. She stopped fighting Ross and embraced him as well, her arms tight around his waist. Emma finally broke down, crying into Ross's jacket. His zip-up and t-shirt he wore underneath felt soft against her face, though becoming wet with tears. Emma still couldn't help but feel the most comfort she had felt all night, and she wished greatly that she didn't have to let go. She wanted to say something to Ross, but she couldn't think of words. So she remained there, wrapped in his arms, and Ross remained there, never once mentioning anything about needing to leave. It wasn't until about eleven that Emma finally quieted down and eventually fell asleep, and only then did Ross carry Emma to her bed and finally take off.


	10. Chapter 10

Emma's eyes slowly opened to the sight of her empty hotel room, dimly lit only by the sunlight coming from outside. She lied there for a few minutes, wanting to go back to sleep but knowing that once she was awake, it was almost impossible for her to get back to sleep. Though Emma was waking up, she felt mentally exhausted and completely unmotivated. 'If I didn't have to go to the recording of the show today,' she thought, 'I think I'd lie here the entire rest of the day. Then Emma realized something that woke her up. "The show." she said aloud, turning over to check the time. Emma sighed in relief to see that she hadn't overslept, and she still had an hour before she needed to be at the studio.

Then, something caught her eye; a piece of paper lying on the dresser next to her bed. Emma reached for the paper as she still lied on her bed, reading the note to herself. "Emma, when Brittany and I were over, I remember eating an entire container of ice cream in that one night after it happened. Ben and Jerry's Mackinac Island Fudge, to be specific. Well, you'll never guess what I bought you from the hotel gift shop. It's in your mini-fridge freezer." Emma smiled at the thought of someone doing something so sweet for her, and continued to read. "Hope you get a good night's sleep. Come find me in the morning! I'll see you at the studio." Emma turned on her side as she recalled the previous night's events. Jackson's awful text, Ross being there for her. Wrapping her in his arms. Staying there until she fell asleep. No one had ever done something like that for her before. 'And now he bought me a tub of ice cream.' Emma laughed lightly to herself. She got up from her bed with some difficulty, but managed to get to the mini-fridge placed along the wall opposite her bed, next to the television and closet. And, just like Ross's note read, there was a pint of Ben and Jerry's Mackinac Island Fudge ice cream in her freezer. 'So stinkin' thoughtful.' she thought, a smile returning to her face.

Emma began to feel a bit more motivated and decided to take the opportunity to get ready for the day ahead. She showered and put her hair up, knowing that the crew working for "Austin and Ally" would be doing her hair and make-up that morning. She was actually getting pretty excited for recording the episode, and a little nervous, too. But Emma shook off her nerves before checking the time. "Oh, no." she said allowed. Emma must of spent a lot longer in the shower than she had expected, since she now had to be to the studio in ten minutes. She quickly brushed her teeth, threw on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt over the t-shirt she'd slept in, and ran for the door.


	11. Chapter 11

Emma knew she must of pissed off atleast a few people on the drive over to the studio. She knew her thoughts were elsewhere. 'I know I was so excited for getting to be on this show and everything,' she thought to herself. 'But now... I kind of wish it could just all end. And I could be home again. With Jen, and the rest of my good friends. And we could all go out to dinner and a movie, and look at attractive guys and talk about everything that was wrong with Jackson.' Emma only participated in this sort of post-break-up process after her friends had been dumped, but the feeling of new confidence that they probably felt with the help of Emma and the rest of their friends was probably was probably wonderful. 'I think I need some serious best-girlfriends time.' Emma thought, feeling a tear stream down her face. "Shoot." She quickly rubbed at her face, knowing that balling her eyes out would only lead to a rough red face and a lot of questions from people in the studio. As she drove into the area where the studio was, Emma glanced around once again at the citizens of Los Angeles. She noticed a tall woman strutting down the street in her high heels and expensive outfit, and envied the the woman's look of confidence. Emma sighed, and drove into the studio parking lot. 'Not the way I'd like to start my morning,' Emma thought. 'I just hope I can get focused for recording the show today.'

Emma quickly checked her face in the mirror of her car before going inside. She immidiatly wished she hadn't though. Her hair was in a pony-tail, but had yet to be brushed. Her skin was a bit oily and she noticed some acne creeping noticeably on to her forehead. She said a mental "screw it" to herself, then headed inside. Like the day before, people were bustling around, preparing for the show. Emma knew she was running late, so she decided she better go straight to the dressing room she was in the day before. When she turned, however, she bumped straight into someone, and this time it wasn't Ross. "Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going." The boy immidiatly responded. Emma looked up to see an attractive face, tan skin, and a charming smile. She recognized this boy. He played a character named Dallas, a boy who Ally had a crush on in the show. "Oh, no, it was my fault, really." Emma apologized as well. The boy smiled at Emma, and she smiled and looked down at her feet for a couple of seconds. "I don't think I've seen you around here before. I'm Noah." He held out a hand, and Emma reached out her hand as well. "I'm Emma. I'm one of the contest winners." They shook hands, and Emma took note on how polite and kind he was. "Wow, really? That's so cool." He must of had somewhere to be, because he began to walk away. "I guess I'll see you soon then?" He smiled at her once again. 'Oh, jeez.' Emma thought. 'His smile just might top Ross's.' "Yeah, see you." she tried to give her best smile as well, then turned for the hallway that her dressing room would be down.

Emma daydreamed about this guy named Noah until someone else caught her eye. As she walked down the hallway to her dressing room, another figure was exiting his own dressing room. She smiled at the sight of his blond hair, recently touched up by a hairstylist, and his clothes picked out for the episode. He wore a V-neck striped t-shirt, and faded jeans. The V-neck shirt showed off his strong neck and shoulders, and Emma wondered to herself if he worked out. Ross saw Emma walking his way and smiled. "Good morning." Emma smiled back, but the sight of Ross reminded her of the events of the night before. Jackson deciding to be a jerk and send her an awful text. The way she felt when he had told her it was over. Emma recalled it feeling like her heart had stopped, and it wouldn't seem to start up again. Just like the night before, Emma felt anger and sadness bottle up inside of her once again. And she hated the feeling. As Ross approached her, he must of been able to tell she had something on her mind. "You sleep okay?" His voice was quiet, calm, relaxed. Emma liked the gentleness to it. Emma began to nod, trying to put a fake smile on, but couldn't seem to keep it there. She shook her head. It was difficult for her to lie to him. He apologetically smiled at her. "Yeah, I didn't sleep great, too." Emma hadn't spoken to Ross since the night before, before she balled her eyes in front of him. "I-I, umm..." Emma stilled didn't know what to say. "C-can I hug you?" 'Oh, great. You sound pathetic.' Emma thought. She looked down at her feet, trying to think of how she could change the subject. She heard Ross snicker at her question. "Come here." He gently wrapped his arms around her and pulled her forward. Emma felt the warmth from his body through her sweatshirt, and she laid her head against his chest. She felt him place his chin on the top of her head, but only for a second. Emma was disappointed that the hug didn't last nearly as long as it had the night before. "Sorry." He nodded behind Emma. "Brian's coming." She turned to see the director of Austin and Ally. It looked like he hadn't seen Ross and Emma's hug, and Emma hoped she hadn't gotten Ross into any kind of trouble.

"Good morning, good morning." Brian said to the two. "We're going to be starting here in about an hour and a half, so I'd suggest you get to your dressing room and get ready." Brian looked at Emma. "Sorry, I was just on my way." And with that she quickly walked to the room she'd been in just the day before. "As for you," Brian said when Emma was out of earshot. "Don't think I didn't see that. And your mother told me you missed your curfew last night. Might I remind you that she's only going to be here for a week, and I need you to stay focused on the show." Brian spoke sternly, but his eyes remained soft. "Look, I'm not trying to sound like an jerk, I just want you to be smart. I know I can't control your personal life." "Don't worry." Ross replied, still knowing Brian wasn't angry. "There's nothing going on between the two of us, I'm just trying to be a friend to Emma. I'm staying focused and my personal life won't get in the way of the show, I promise." He sighed, glancing another direction. "Besides, you know I'm still crazy about Brittany." Brian placed a hand on Ross's shoulder, the way a father might when speaking to his young son. "I know, and I'm sorry. But like I told you before, if it's meant to be, it'll work out."


	12. Chapter 12

Emma entered the dressing room to discover the same girl she had met just the day before, Samantha. 'Remember, Ross said she was actually pretty nice yesterday. Maybe I just need to give her a chance.' Emma thought. She wasn't so sure she still agreed with him when she spoke up. "Where have you been?! You're like, super late. You should get changed fast, the hairdresser will be back in a few minutes to work on you." Okay, Emma was running late. And Samantha was already changed. But did she really have to use the term, "work on you?" Emma tried to be friendly despite not really getting along with this girl. "Sorry, I get changed pretty fast so I think I'll be okay." She walked over to a couple of racks of clothes set aside for herself and Samantha, all at or around her size. Emma smiled immidiatly; she adored shopping for clothes. If she could go to the mall every single day of her life, she probably would. Sure, these two racks of clothes weren't exactly a shopping mall, but she still got a bit of an adrenaline rush at the sight of it. "Am I allowed to pick out anything I want? Like, anything at all?" she asked Samantha. She answered the question with a look of boredom and being annoyed. "Uhh, yeah," she replied, as if she really wanted to say, "Duh." "I hope you don't have an awful sense of fashion. If you do, don't forget the entire world will be watching you on TV." 'Okay, well you can suck it.' Emma thought, obviously keeping that little comment to herself. Whatever, Samantha's attitude wasn't going to ruin her complete excitement.

Emma decided to pick out the first thing that really caught her eye, since she didn't have a minute to spare. She decided on a floral dress. It looked like it would be flattering; it went to a few inches above her knees and accentuated the thinnest part of her waist. The only problem was that it had spaghetti straps, and Emma wasn't so sure that the first time she got to be on television should be spent in something so showy. Especially since it was technically directed towards pre-teen girls. Emma smirked at herself, feeling silly that she really liked the show, despite it being for kids. She finally solved her dilemma by pulling off the rack a soft, light pink cardigan. It came only about two-thirds of the way down her arms, so some her new Los Angeles tan was visible. Emma wouldn't say that she was obsessed with tanning, but she would admit that she liked having some color on her skin. Especially since her skin tanned very well. She smiled at the thought; her skin was her favorite feature.

She quickly changed, knowing the hairdresser would enter the dressing room any minute now. To her delight, the cardigan perfectly matched a specific shade of pink in the floral dress, and the outfit turned out to be really flattering. "Wow." Emma turned to see Samantha looking at her. "That actually... looks really cute. I like it." Emma couldn't hide how shocked she was. Was this girl, who had just been nasty moments before, now complimenting her? "Umm... thanks." She smiled. Samantha smiled back, once again surprising Emma. "Umm... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have given you an attitude a minute ago. And your style is really good." Emma smiled in response. Maybe the two of them actually could get along. "You don't think this is too dressed up? I noticed you have shorts on." Emma asked. Samantha wore a pair of jeans shorts and a checkered flannel shirt, which still looked just fine in Emma's opinion. "Oh, not at all. I was actually considering changing, I just wasn't sure what to wear." Emma got excited once again. She loved helping her friends pick out clothes. "I'll help you find something."

With forty-five minutes to spare before recording began, two hairdressers entered the dressing room. Emma would admit that she enjoyed every second of sitting in her chair, watching her hair get straightened. Even when the woman put a light amount of make-up on her, she managed to not run out of the room and hide like she normally would. Make-up was something she wore very rarely, on account of it being something she wasn't comfortable wearing. Emma decided, though, that she could handle wearing it this time. "You two have about fifteen minutes, but you better be ready for Brian when he comes to get you two." Samantha's hairdresser told the girls. They thanked the women before they rushed out, onto their next order of business. Emma looked over at Samantha; her make-up and hair were nicely done. She now wore a white belted skirt with a metallic gray top tucked into it, and Emma was excited to say that she picked out the outfit.

It didn't take long for Brian to show up at their dressing room door. "Showtime, girls!" He spoke excitedly, appearing rather relaxed. The girls followed him to the stage, and Emma took the opportunity to mentally prepare herself. She had performed in a few small musical theater performances when she was younger, but this was far more different than anything she'd every done before. "You nervous?" Samantha asked Emma as they approached the stage. Emma nodded. "Don't be. Just remember that everybody make mistakes and if it happens, that's only normal. I'm sure you'll be just fine, though." Emma did feel a bit better after hearing this. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks." Brian pointed out where Emma and Samantha would be beginning on stage, then briefly discussed the show and their lines with them. The conversation made Emma feel quite a bit more confident, and even once Brian walked away she remained calm. She and Samantha wished each other luck and Emma headed for her designated spot on stage. This was when she met Laura, the girl playing the role of Ally. "You must be one of the contest winners! I'm Laura, it's so great to meet you!" Emma could immidiatly tell that Laura's personality was much like her character's on the television show; perky, optimistic, and friendly. "I"m Emma, it's nice to meet you, too!" Emma said, trying to sound excited as well. Laura smiled. "Oh, I wasn't sure if I'd get to meet you before the show, and I'm so glad I am. I think this episode will be a really good one." Emma nodded along and smiled. She was glad that she was getting to meet Laura now, too, since the two had parts involving each other in the show. The two chatted for a minute before Brian told everyone to get to their places, and Laura wished Emma good luck.

Emma believed the show would be a really good one as well. In the episode, she was supposed to be a childhood friend of Ally's visiting Miami for the week. Ironically enough, Austin's childhood friend, Samantha's character, is also visiting for the week. Emma, who's character's name remained Emma, immidiatly develops a crush on Ross upon meeting him. However, Ross begins to develop feelings for Samantha, who's character's name is also the same. Emma is disappointed, but Ally tells Austin about Emma's feelings and he decides to talk to her. Something Emma was even more excited for was the fact that Ross would be singing a song to her. The song was written by Austin, and it's fairly short, but it said things like, "I know you you'll find someone better," "We'll go on and live our lives just like the way we would have," "It was a pleasure meeting you, but maybe this is for the best." At the show's end, Ross says goodbye to Samantha, though he promises to keep in touch. Ally and Emma say goodbye to each other, and Austin says goodbye as well to Emma.

Emma got a little nervous right before the show began, but after her first line, the rest was a breeze. She made very few mistakes, if any, and she enjoyed every moment she was spending on stage. She liked the feeling of saying a complicated line well, though few of the lines were very difficult. And Emma really didn't mind that she was given the part of the girl who was being heartbroken by Ross's characters. 'I mean, Ross is going to sing to me. The Ross Lynch is going to sing to me.' she thought to herself right before returning on stage for that exact scene. She felt silly, calling him "The Ross Lynch" like she had done the day before. But now, it was different. Now they were friends.

Ross singing to Emma definitely turned out to be Emma's favorite part of the show. He sang it acoustic, and she had to admit that when it was just his voice and some chords on a guitar, well, it was a heavenly sound. And she got to sit right next to him as he sang it to her. Her character was allowed to look at the ground a bit instead of just watching Ross the whole time, which made Emma a lot more comfortable, and Emma believed the scene turned out really well. The show seemed to finish up rather quickly after that scene, and the rest of Emma's lines were easy. The only scene that surprised Emma was one of the last few scenes. She was able to watch from one end of the stage as Ross said goodbye to Samantha. She learned then that their goodbye involved the two kissing each other. Emma hadn't realized that she was standing there, mouth slightly open, in shock that the two kissed. 'I mean, I'm obviously not jealous or anything.' Emma told herself. 'I just didn't think that someone that was only playing in one episode would be instructed to kiss Ross.'

After that, Emma did her final scene, during which she said goodbye to Laura's character and Ross's character. And no, she didn't get any sort of kiss, but she did receive one friendly hug from Ross. 'Funny.' she thought once exiting the stage. 'Hugging Ross. I guess it's starting to feel kind of normal now.' She smiled at the thought, then decided she ought to find Ross and tell him what a great job he did singing to her.


	13. Chapter 13

Samantha looked just as excited as Emma was when the two saw each other after the recording. "Hey, you did a really good job." Samantha told Emma. Emma was surprised to be getting a compliment before giving one, especially from Samantha. "Thanks!" she smiled. "You did great, too!" Emma thought about asking about that kiss with Ross, but her thoughts were interrupted. when she noticed that exact boy walking her way. "Hey, you guys were great." He told the two girls, a charming smile plastered to his face. "Thanks," Emma replied, and Samantha smiled. Emma expected to hear something out of Samantha, she really didn't seem like the shy type. "I'm going to talk to a few people over here, I'll be right back." Samantha told Emma before walking over to a few teens she must have befriended. "That's weird," Emma said, watching Samantha walk away. "I thought she'd be excited to talk to you." Ross glanced over at Samantha. "Yeah," he looked back at Emma again. She only reached almost to Ross's shoulders, while Samantha was an inch or two shorter than Ross. "I'm pretty sure I know why she's acting that way." He leaned over, his face close to Emma's. "It's because that kiss wasn't scripted." 'What?' Emma wanted to say. 'That isn't fair, I should get a kiss too!' Emma mentally laughed to herself at that thought. It was obviously silly. 'I mean, me kissing Ross? I, for one, haven't had my first kiss yet. Plus, why would I kiss someone I've only known for a full twenty-four hours?' Emma almost hadn't realized that Ross was trying to explain the details to her. "I probably looked like an idiot when she had kissed me. I mean, I had no clue she was going to do it. But I talked to Brian a second ago, and he thinks our show's producer will want to keep it in there." Ross looked towards his feet, then in another direction. Emma could tell from the second she met him that Ross wasn't the shy type at all, but he looked pretty uncomfortable. "Hey, don't worry about it, okay?" Emma hadn't realized that she had reached out a hand and touched the tip of her fingers to his arm. Ross glanced down at her hand, and Emma removed it immidiatly, realizing what she had done and starting to get embarrassed. Ross smiled, seeing her face get pink. "Yeah. I guess... I just didn't want to give that image to Austin, you know? Like, an image that makes him look like he'll kiss anybody, when really I haven't kissed anyone yet on this show. I haven't even kissed Laura yet on the show, and we're supposed to be, like, 'meant to be' or something." Emma laughed. "Hey, I met Laura right before the show. She seems really nice and cool." Ross laughed as well. "Hey, she is cool. And really sweet, don't get me wrong. I just mean that the two of us haven't kissed yet, despite being really close in the show. And now, I kissed a girl that was in only one episode." Ross's smile faded a bit. "By the way, you don't have to be embarrassed about touching my arm. I know you're just trying to be nice." Emma smiled, and looked down at her feet. 'I don't think I've ever met anyone so kind.' She thought before looking up, her smile getting bigger. "Honestly, I think you might be putting just a little too much thought into this one, Ross. Look, don't worry about kissing Samantha. I mean, people might remember it. But it definitely won't define you. Besides, Austin is just too cool a guy to let something as small as one kiss bother him. So I don't think you should let it get to you, either."

Austin looked at Samantha, who was continuing to talk to her new friends. He nodded, and smiled at Emma. "You know, I didn't feel a single spark. No fireworks. It made me feel kind of bad actually, since I know Samantha has a thing for me." "You're not supposed to feel sparks." Emma replied, shaking her head. "You're acting, remember? Aren't I right?" She smiled a big, teasing smile, and their smiles seemed to be contagious to each other. Ross laughed at Emma. "Hey," he glanced down at the floor, then back into Emma's eyes. "Come meet my family later. Everyone's going to be home." 'Wait, did he just invite me to meet his family? Isn't that something that people do when they're, like, dating?' "Oh, I'm not sure. I don't want to be intrusive, really." "What? Whatever, you won't be. Besides," again with the eye contact. Emma didn't mind it, though; Ross had unbelievable eyes. "I want you to meet them."

"Hey, you two!" The conversation was interrupted by Laura, but Emma didn't mind; her enthusiasm was starting to rub off on Emma. "You did so well!" she told Emma. "I thought it was really great. And you," she smiled one of her big, optimistic smiles at Ross. "You kind of, sort of kicked butt." Ross laughed at her. "Hey, you kind of, sort of did, too." Emma could see that the two were good friends. It only took her a couple of minutes of seeing the two together to think they'd make an adorable couple. "So, this is what I think." Laura clasped her hands together dramatically, like she was preparing to give the two a big announcement. "Since we won't be recording tomorrow, and the contest winners are here, we should all go to the amusement park. You two, the other contest winner, Raini, Calum, Noah and I." Emma hadn't realized she had yet to meet two of the other actors in the show, Raini and Calum, who played the characters Trish and Dez. 'As for Noah, we've already met.' She thought with a little smile. "Laura, you suggest we go to the amusement park like, every other week. Besides, maybe you should ask Emma and Samantha what they want to do." Ross told his friend. She gave a huffy face, though they both knew she was joking around. "I think the amusement park sounds really fun, actually." Emma spoke up. "I can ask Samantha, but I think she'd be alright with it. Is that okay with you?" She asked Ross. He smiled once again, and Emma started to wonder why he was so lucky to have such great teeth. "I'm starting to think you two are going to become best friends. But sure, I'm down with anything." Emma and Laura laughed, and they agreed on a time and place. "I'll see you guys tomorrow!" She waved before disappearing into the crowd of set workers and actors.

"I better head back to my dressing room. Oh, and," Emma stopped before disappearing into the crowd as well. "I'll be at your house around like, 7:00?" Ross looked at her for a second, and smiled. 'Oh my gosh, I'm going to meet Ross's family.' Emma thought with a smile. "Why not just drive there from here? Then you can drive me over." Emma laughed at Ross. Most of her guyfriends from home gave her rides places, but Ross? Well, he was younger than her. And, from what she had learned the night before, he had received his license but only had had it for five months now. "I wore a sweatshirt here, though. I don't want to look awful the first time I meet your family! I like to make good first impressions." Even she laughed at herself a little bit. But she did care about how she looked, and the what others thought of her. "You'll look fine, don't worry. And besides," He looked at her hair. "Your hair looks cute, so you're good." 'Did he just compliment my hair? Aww.' Emma thought, looking down at her feet yet again. "Oh, fine. I'll drive there from here." She smiled at Ross. "Be ready in fifteen, okay?" Emma made her way into the crowd. Ross watched her walk away, and only a few seconds later saw her talking to Noah. His smile faded a bit. 'What do I care?' Ross thought, heading for his dressing room. 'I mean, why should I?'

"You did great tonight." Noah told Emma. His smile once again left Emma transfixed. "Thank you," she responded shyly, not being able to look into his fantastic eyes. "Oh, I know Laura was going to invite you, but we're going to the amusement park tomorrow. Wanna come with?" She looked up at his face long enough to see him smile at her. "Yeah, sounds like fun." Emma could feel her face get warm and probably turn pink, and she hoped she didn't look stupid. She told him the time and place before turning to head for her dressing room. "Hey," Noah said, getting Emma's attention. "You look cute, by the way." Emma's heart must have skipped several beats. 'Really? He's so attractive, and he's calling me cute?' Emma wasn't sure if she could contain her excitement, so she decided to smile back and head for her dressing room. 'Oh my goodness.' She thought with a smile. 'Such a great day.'


	14. Chapter 14

"You have plans today?" Samantha was already in the dressing room when Emma came in. Emma wondered if she still felt embarrassed about her kiss with Ross. "Actually, I'm heading over to Ross's house in a few." Emma was unsure whether or not she should invite Samantha to Ross's house, since it wasn't her decision and Ross would probably feel awkward talking to her. "Oh, really? Could I get a ride there, too?" 'Oh...' Emma thought. 'Well, so much for not being sure whether to invite her or not, since now she's inviting herself.' Emma decided she should just try to be nice to Samantha anyway. "Sure. Maybe ask Ross first if you can come with?" Emma hunted down her sweatshirt and shorts she had worn to the studio. "Oh. Um..." Samantha began. "I'm sure he won't care." 'What?' Emma thought. 'Now it sounds like she's just trying to avoid him. Maybe I should say something.' Emma decided it was time to pipe up. "Hey, Samantha." She realized her voice sounded way too serious, so she tried to lighten up. "Ross told me that kiss was unscripted. I just think maybe you should apologize to him." Emma looked over at Samantha, but instead of listening to Emma, she was reading a text message on her phone. Emma frowned. "Did you hear me?" she questioned. Samantha sighed in response. "Yes. I heard you. And I know, I probably should say something." 'Good.' Emma thought, a smile on her face. 'She actually listened to me. I guess I can get along with her.'

Emma changed clothes and fixed up her hair within a few short minutes. She glanced in the mirror at her reflection. 'I just hope I don't do anything stupid in front of Ross's family, since I already look like a slob.' Maybe that was exaggerated, but Emma did feel funny about meeting Ross's whole family while wearing a sweatshirt. "Are you wearing that tonight?" Samantha interrupted her thoughts. "I have an extra shirt, if you want to borrow it." Emma turned to the girl. Was she really offering Emma her shirt? "Oh, I'm not sure if it would fit me. But thanks for offering." Emma responded, referring to Samantha's good figure. "Oh, don't say that." Samantha said, almost in an actually friendly tone. Almost, that is. "Just try it on. Really." Emma decided to try on the shirt and, to her delight, it fit alright. It was more fitted on her than it must have been on Samantha, but that didn't bother Emma. The top was a short-sleeved, ruffled top, with several ruffles in different shades of gray. "This looks really cute, I think." Emma said, looking in the mirror at herself. "Thanks!" She responded happily, glad she would no longer need to look like a bum at Ross's house. "And for this, you don't have to pay me back for giving you a ride tonight." Emma laughed at her joke, expecting no laughter in return. She was actually thrilled when Samantha smiled.

The two headed outside the studio. Already awaiting them was Ross, dressed in sweats and a Hollister T-shirt. Emma smiled at him, and he smiled back. And it was a dreamy smile. And Emma felt her heart skip a beat. Just one single beat. 'Wait a second.' she thought as they approached the boy. 'What was that? I mean, sure, Ross is attractive. But my relationship with Jackson just ended. So why would the one person here that's treated me like a true friend make my heart skip a beat?' "Ready?" Ross asked Emma, then noticed Samantha following behind. "Are you coming with?" he asked her. Emma could tell he felt weird talking to her, and began to think she should have told Samantha that coming was a bad idea. But Samantha nodded, and followed Emma to her car. "Hey, do you care if I get a coffee on the way over? I'm like, still waking up from last night's lack of sleep." Emma told Ross. She recalled Ross telling her earlier that morning that he also hardly got any sleep the night before. 'Wait.' Emma thought. 'He didn't have a hard time sleeping last night because he was worried about me... right?' Emma knew better than to ask, but the thought still lingered in her mind. "I'm tired, too. Let's just make coffee at my house. We have one of those single-cup coffee makers, the really fancy kind." Ross replied. He laughed At Emma's excitement. "Really? You're so lucky! I wish I had one of those." Emma would admit to anyone that she liked coffee a lot. She had it everyday, some days only one cup, some days four cups.

When the three got into Emma's car, Samantha decided it was time to apologize. "I'm sorry about earlier, Ross." she said, plain and simple. "That wasn't right of me. I just hope I didn't hurt our friendship or anything." Emma couldn't help but wonder what friendship she was talking about exactly, then felt bad for thinking about that. She glanced in her rear view mirror, and Ross was smiling at Samantha. "It's alright, we can still be friends. Thanks for apologizing." Emma saw Samantha smile at him as well. 'Aww.' Emma thought. 'Hopefully this means no more uncomfortable conversations.' Emma may have thought that too soon, however.

"But hey, just so I know, what did you think of that kiss of ours?" Samantha asked. Emma felt her mouth drop open. 'Did she really just ask that?' Emma realized Ross was probably freaking out at the moment, and decided she ought to try and save him from answering that question. "Hey, Ross!" Emma said, rather loudly. "Is this your house coming up?" She knew the house wasn't his; it had to be one of the biggest houses she'd ever seen. Ross looked out the window. "Nah, my house is a little bit bigger, actually." He replied. Emma was shocked; she had no clue his house would be so big. "Whoa, these houses are so pretty!" Samantha said, eyes glued to the window. 'Yes. Distraction accomplished.' Emma thought to herself with a smile. She looked in the rear view mirror and saw Ross look at Samantha, then look at Emma. "Thanks," he mouthed out the word, and Emma smiled. 'Look at us,' Emma thought as she pulled down Ross's street. 'We're pretty cute.'


	15. Chapter 15

"This one coming up, the white one. That's my house." Emma couldn't believe her eyes when she saw Ross's house. It was a mansion, with a huge front porch and what appeared to be a hundred windows. There was an amazing garden of lilies and roses and just about any other flower you could think of, and a small pond sat on the side of the house. "Do you guys like it?" Ross asked the two as Emma pulled into the long drive way. "It's... incredible." Emma replied, still in complete shock.

Emma parked next to a few other cars that sat in the drive way, probably that belonged to his siblings and parents. Emma's mouth must have still been hanging open when she opened her car door and got out because Ross started to laugh at her. "You're gonna love it in there." Samantha headed for the door, with Emma and Ross following behind. Ross unlocked the front door and the three entered a huge, high ceiling room. "I'm home!" Ross called inside, unlocking the door behind him. Samantha immidiatly headed for the living room, since she had been there just the day before and must have already known her way around the house. Emma, however, remained at Ross's side and glanced down the hallway. She must have looked nervous. "You okay?" Ross asked, kicking off his shoes. Emma nodded, trying to smile. "Yeah. I'm just really bad at making good first impressions." "What? Whatever." Ross responded. "When I first met you I didn't get a bad impression of you. My first impression was more like, 'Cool, a girl that isn't obsessed with me like some fans.' And I knew I'd like you." He smiled his typical charming smile, and Emma couldn't help but smile back. "Really? Okay, I just hope I don't do anything stupid. I can be clumsy." Emma laughed at herself. "Don't worry, you'll be fine." Ross replied. "Hey, I thought you said you were going to wear a sweatshirt." Emma had completely forgotten hat Samantha had let her borrow a shirt, and the thought of Emma looking just a little bit better than she would have was a bit of a confidence booster for her. Another confidence booster was that Samantha's shirt actually fit Emma alright. "Yeah, I borrowed a shirt from Samantha. Do I look okay?" she asked. "Ehh." Ross shrugged his shoulders, then laughed at Emma's pestered face. "I'm just kidding! You look good, really." Emma smiled at him. "Welcome home!" Came a friendly voice from behind Emma, and she turned to see a blond girl walking down the hallway. 'This must be Ross's sister.' Emma thought. "Oh, and who's this? Hi, I'm Rydel!" Rydel held out a hand, and Emma shook it. "I'm Emma, nice to meet you." Emma replied, seeing that Rydel was really enthusiastic, kind of like Laura. "Emma? Oh, I love that name! It's so good to meet you, too." Just then, a guy came walking down the hallway towards the three. "Jeez Ross, why'd you bring HER back? She hardly takes a breath when she's talking." The boy told Ross, annoyed. "Sorry, there's not really much I can do about her. But hey, didn't you think she and Rocky really hit it off yesterday after I left?" The guy, who Emma assumed was one of his brothers, nodded. She guessed that Rocky was another one of his brothers. "Yeah. I don't know, he could probably do better." The guy took this moment to realize that Samantha wasn't their only company. "And I don't believe we've met yet, who's this?" he asked, smiling at Emma. His smile was just as great as his brother's. "I'm Emma, it's nice to meet you." She told him, trying to give one of her best smiles. She couldn't help but notice that this guy was really attractive. "I'm Riker. It's nice to meet you." He put an arm on Ross's shoulder. "Now tell me, has Ross been giving you any problems yet? Cause I can teach him a lesson if I need to." Ross rolled his eyes at his brother, and smiled at Emma. Emma laughed. "No, he hasn't given me trouble yet. But I'll keep you updated." She joked, and Riker smiled at her. "Don't worry, I'll try to keep myself in line." Ross told his brother. "Hey, let's get that coffee we talked about earlier. I'm exhausted." Ross told Emma, who smiled and agreed. He directed her towards the kitchen and began to follow her there while Riker remained to keep his arm around his brother. "You know, you're kind of supposed to let me go." Ross told his brother. He assumed Riker would have something to say, however. And he did. "She's cute." Riker told Ross. "That the girl you snuck out to see the other night? You know mom and dad will be pissed when they find out about where you were." Ross frowned at his brother. "I know, and they won't find out. Look, I'll tell them about it after this week, once Emma goes back home. I don't want to get her in trouble." Riker looked at his brother, and a small smile appeared on his face. "Okay. You know I'm just trying to protect you. I just think you need to be careful about this." Ross nodded. "Yeah, I know. And don't worry, I will be." Riker nodded as well. "So you kinda like her, huh?" he asked, another smile appearing on his face. Ross frowned. His brother knew better than anyone else how much Ross missed Brittany, the ex-girlfriend he couldn't get over. "What? No, we're just friends. And she's only going to be here for a week." Riker finally took his arm from Ross's shoulder. Rydel still remained next to the boys, appearing to already know about Ross sneaking out. "Alright." Riker responded. "I guess I'm done interrogating you. Hey, you wanna make me a coffee while you're at it?" Ross laughed at his brother and his somewhat lazy personality. "Fine, fine." He smiled at the two before heading for the kitchen. "Those two are going to start dating." Rydel told Riker, the two returning to their family living room. "Oh, definitely." Riker responded, and the two laughed.


	16. Chapter 16

Emma leaned against the large island in the kitchen, sipping the hot gourmet coffee that Ross had just made for her. She took a good look at the beautiful kitchen while enjoying her coffee. And it truly was beautiful; the room was large and roomy, with a long dining table taking up about half of the room. The other half contained the actual kitchen, which contained a marble counter, chic but classic white cupboards, an expensive-looking refrigerator and stove, and several other kitchen appliances. Emma took notice in the multiple appliances, most of which were from KitchenAid. Though she knew it was wrong, she began to envy all of it. "You know, when I was growing up, I always wanted a kitchen kind of like this one. I actually decided that I'd like to have a cheap, small house so that I could spend all of my money on an amazing kitchen." Emma smiled, looking down at the counter. Then to herself, 'Wait, did I really just say that out loud? Oh my gosh, Ross is going to think I'm a total loser.' "Really?" Ross asked Emma, walking to the other side of the island with his own coffee. He leaned against the island as well, crossing his arms and resting them on the counter. Emma nodded. "Yeah. It's silly, I know." she giggled at herself, but Ross just smiled. "Nah, it's not silly. It's actually cool." Emma looked up at the boy. "Really, you think so?" He nodded, and she smiled, looking back down at the counter. "It's must be something, living in a place like this." She glanced around the room, growing more envious. "Yeah, it's pretty nice." Ross replied. "Pretty nice?" Emma questioned, looking at Ross in disbelief. Ross laughed, and Emma smiled at the sound of his laughter. "Don't get me wrong, the place IS great. And I have four siblings, so there's a ton of space for all of us. It's just, we're all really close and we spend so much of our time together, which I love, too. But most of our time is actually spent either in the living room or in here, so the size of our house actually isn't a big deal to any of us." He smiled as he spoke, and Emma couldn't help but think it was sweet; she could tell he loved his family more than anything. "Oh, don't think I don't appreciate my house though. Cause really, that's not true." He told Emma, looking worried, as if he really hoped she didn't think badly of him. "Oh, no, I wasn't thinking that," she told him. "I think it's great that you spend so much time with your family. It sounds like you really love them." Ross smiled and looked at Emma. She couldn't help but smile back. "Yeah, they're the best." he told her. "Speaking of family, you didn't get to meet Ryland, Rocky, or my parents. Wanna go say hi?" Ross stood up, coffee in hand, and Emma got up as well. As she followed Ross down the hallway, she took a deep breath; meeting parents always made her nervous, even if it was just a friend's parents.

The two entered the large, high-ceiling living room to see Ross's entire family and Samantha, sitting on several couches and chairs. Emma noticed Riker sitting in one seat, a guitar in his hands, and Rydel in another chair, texting excessively on her phone. On one couch sat Samantha with another boy, who Emma figured had to be Rocky, since Ross had told Emma earlier that Ryland was his youngest brother. Samantha was chattering away while sitting rather closely to Rocky, who nodded along to what Samantha was telling him. Emma couldn't help but wonder if he was actually paying attention to what she was telling him, since chances are she'd been doing most of the talking since she'd arrived. In another chair was a younger-looking boy, who had to be Ryland. He sat with his knees over the side of the chair while using an iPad. Then, Emma saw Ross's parents. The two sat on a couch, facing each other. Ross's mom sat with her knees by her face, her arms wrapped around her knees. Ross's dad sat criss-crossed. The two leaned in closely, talking to each other. From what Emma could see, they were both smiling, and Emma could almost feel the love the two felt for one another. "Hey, guys." Ross said, stopping everyone from what they were doing. Ryland looked up from his iPad. "Who's she?" he asked loudly. "Ryland," his mother started, "Manners." She smiled at Emma, and she felt some of her nerves begin to disappear. "Oh, yeah, right." Ryland said, then a few seconds later said, "Who's she?" Emma laughed. "I'm Emma. It's nice to meet you all." Emma said. As she spoke, she so hoped that she sounded okay. "Well, how polite!" Their mom commented, a smile on her face. "It's nice to meet you. You can call us Mr. and Mrs. Lynch," she turned to her husband while addressing him, who smiled as well. "And that's Ryland and Rocky. It sounds like you've already met Riker and Rydel." "It's nice to meet you." Rocky said, a smile on his face as well. Emma was beginning to think that looking attractive just ran in Ross's family. "Hey Emma, you can sit by me!" Ryland spoke up, a toothy grin on his face. Emma laughed and took a seat next to the boy, who she guessed was about thirteen or fourteen. Ross sat on the arm of the chair Riker was sitting in. Emma watched him sit down, and smiled at him when he looked her way. He smiled back, and Emma felt the last of her nerves disappear.

Emma spent the rest of the evening talking to Ross's parents as well as the rest of his family. She and Rydel got into a conversation about Rydel's clothes, which Emma believed were really cute. Rydel told her about a great shopping center near their home, and even invited Emma to go shopping with her. They decided that they'd go shopping in two days, since the following day Emma would be going to the amusement park with the cast. At about 9:00, Emma decided she didn't want to wear out her welcome and told the family she'd better be leaving. She offered Samantha a ride to her hotel, since the girl appeared to be in no rush of leaving. Emma couldn't help but notice that when Samantha agreed and got up to come with Emma, Rocky seemed to sigh in relief.

Ross walked the two to the door. "So I guess we'll be seeing you tomorrow, Ross." Samantha told him, putting her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. Once she let go of Ross, Samantha walked outside. "So, do you want a ride in the morning? I don't know how to get to the park, so you coming with me would be a huge help." Emma told Ross. He smiled. "Sure, a ride would be great. And... hopefully I know how to get there." The two laughed. "We'll figure it out, though." he told Emma, and she nodded. "I guess I'll see you in the morning, then? How does 11:30 sound?" She asked, hopeing that'd leave them enough time for the drive. "Yeah, sounds good." The two stood there for a moment, and Emma felt silly. 'I know I've hugged Ross already, but this isn't like last night, when he probably felt sorry for me and just wanted to be kind. But would it be weird to not hug him, since Samantha just did? But I guess that'd just the way she is.' Emma didn't have to wonder much longer, however, because Ross leaned over and gave her a friendly hug once again. Emma returned the hug, smiling as she did so. She felt comfortable in his arms like this. "Have a good night." He told her as he let go, and Emma smiled. "See you in the morning."


	17. Chapter 17

Emma groaned at the sound of a series of beeping sounds coming from her alarm clock. "Is it really eight o'clock already?" She said aloud, rubbing her eyes. Her clock was not incorrect, however. Emma wouldn't have ordinarily gotten up at such an early hour, but today was different; she had made plans to go to an amusement park with Samantha and the cast of Austin and Ally today. Plus, she had another reason for waking up so early; she wanted to look cute. Emma smiled at the thought of her decision. She had come to the conclusion that yes, she was now single, but that didn't mean she shouldn't get dolled up and go have a good time. 'And,' Emma thought now, 'I'll see Noah today.'

Emma rolled out of her bed and headed for the bathroom. She took a shower and fixed her hair up a bit. Emma had always been "blessed" with a head of loose curls, and while most girls would die to have hair like hers, she had had it her entire life and thus was sick of it. Occasionally, though, she'd go out of her way to try to make her curly hair look half-way decent. And today was one of those days. She combed her hair, creating a part, then added a couple of products and scrunched the damp hair. Once she had blow-dried it and put in a floral headband, she headed for her suitcase. She decided on a "cute, but not-too-cute" outfit, as she called it. Emma put on a off-white, loose yet flattering tank top, and a pair of dark blue denim shorts. She finished off the look with her favorite pair of earrings, light pink-colored rose earrings, and some basic gray flip flops from Old Navy. She looked in the mirror, and couldn't help but smile at her reflection. 'Wow.' she thought. 'I haven't felt this good about myself in a while.' While the thought was kind of disappointing, she felt good seeing herself in a much better mood than the days before.

Emma was surprised when she saw that it was already 11:00, and decided to skip wearing any make-up. She almost never wore the stuff, and although today seemed like a good day to wear it, she decided that she already looked just fine and it wasn't necessary. 'Maybe Noah likes a girl who doesn't wear too much make-up.' she thought. Okay, maybe she was getting a little bit of a crush on Noah. But so what? She knew she wouldn't act on it. 'I know I'm only going to be here for a few more days,' she thought, picking up her phone and checking for any new text messages. 'Plus, I can't think of a single girlfriend of mine who has been in a long-distance relationship. So how could someone like me, who has far less dating experience, be able to pull it off?' "Not possible." she concluded with a sigh, and with that, she grabbed her car keys, wallet, and cross-body purse and headed for the door.

Before leaving, Emma fought with herself over whether or not to get a bagel from the hotel's cafe. She couldn't recall eating much the day before. Or anything, for that matter. 'I guess I had coffee at Ross's place,' thinking of the slim amount of calories she'd consumed from that beverage. 'I'm not really hungry though,' she lied to herself. Sure, she was starting to get hungry. But, because of recent events, she'd really lost her appetite for much anything. 'Funny, the after-effects of getting dumped.' she thought glumly, heading out the door. She came to the final decision that she'd pick up a Starbucks on the drive to Ross's house, and that'd be enough for her.

The night before, instead of getting charged extra for Valet parking, she'd parked her own car at the far edge of the parking lot. She didn't mind the walk though; she hadn't had time to get much exercise in the past few days. Plus, the weather was really nice that day. Warm, but not too warm. And she couldn't see a cloud in the sky. She couldn't help but smile, breathing in the fresh air. Once she'd reached her car and started it, she drove to Starbucks to get a Grande hot coffee. "Extra cream, with Mocha syrup, please?" she said clearly, only ordering the exact same drink a thousand times before.

Within moments, she was pulling into Ross's driveway. Emma pulled out her phone once again, realizing that she'd received a text message. It was from Jen, her best friend. Then Emma began to wonder; had her and Jackson's break-up gotten out? What if he'd told the entire school about it already? She slowly placed her thumb on the Open button, then pressed it. "I just heard about yours and that asshole's break-up. Emma, I'm so sorry!" Emma smiled seeing her friend's not-so-modest language, knowing that that was one of the things she liked about Jen; she was never afraid to speak her mind, ever. Emma began to type a response. "Does this mean the whole school knows?" she asked, her heat beginning to sink. Maybe she didn't want to know that answer to that. "And it's not your fault, Jen. Thanks for caring! Let's do a girls night out when I get back, okay?" Emma pressed the Send button, then nervously began messing with her hair. 'I just hope... she's the only one who knows. But what are the chances of that?' She sighed, then heard the passenger door open. "Good morning," Emma said, quickly putting on a smile. "Hey, Emma." Ross smiled, getting into her car. She almost completely forgot about the text she'd just received when she saw the guy. Ross was wearing a V-neck T-shirt from Hollister, a pair of sunglasses hanging from his shirt, and tan khakis. His blonde hair looked great, and his skin well-tanned. 'Jeez, stop looking so attractive!' She thought, feeling silly. "Are you ready for an awesome day?" He asked her, a smile on his face. Emma laughed, turning on the car ignition. "Oh, sure." she responded, hoping that the day would be fun. She felt like the amusement park would help her get her mind off things, or at least hoped it would. "So, tell me. Do we have any clue at all where we're going?" Ross nodded, pulling out his cell phone. "Laura sent me directions this morning. Oh, hey, Samantha sent me a text this morning. She was wondering if you could drive her to the park today." Emma frowned. "Why didn't she ask me last night? Yeah, I can take her." She must have sounded a bit huffy, because Ross laughed. "Hey, don't blame her last-minute text on me. And I'm sure she wasn't trying to get on your nerves." Emma wasn't so sure about that one, but she didn't say so once she felt her phone vibrate. "Can you read this to me? It's important." She handed Ross her phone, not taking her eyes of off the road. He opened the text, and began to read it aloud. "Sure, that'd be great. And..." Ross continued to read the text in his mind instead of out loud. "And you're right, it wasn't my fault. But Emma, I don't think I've been totally honest with you. Promise me you won't get mad, but Jackson may have hit on me at school the day after you left for Cali. I can promise you though, I got away from him as soon as he tried anything. Please don't be angry, Emma. You know the last thing I'd ever want to do is hurt you." "And...?" Emma questioned, once Ross had been silent for a few seconds. "And... that's it." He lied. "Sorry, one of those little signature things that everybody puts at the end of all their texts." Emma couldn't recall Jen ever ending a text with a specific signature, but she nodded. "Okay, well thanks." She said, reaching her hand out. "Oh, shoot. I think I just deleted the message. Sorry, Emma." Ross told her, handing over the phone. She laughed. "It's no big deal. Thanks." She slipped her phone in her pocket, then turned down the street Samantha's hotel was on.

Ross didn't spend too much time on thinking about what he had just done. He knew that reading the rest of the text to Emma may have made her angry, even though it sounded like her friend did try to get away from Jackson when he hit on her. And, when he thought of how angry she had gotten the other night after being dumped, he thought it'd be best she not hear the rest of the text.

"Hey, guys." Samantha said, hopping into the backseat of Emma's car. "Hey." Emma and Ross said, almost in unison. Emma looked at Ross, then back at the road. "So, let's hear those directions." She took a sip of her coffee. "Oh, sorry. Please?" She heard Ross laugh at her, then begin reading off the directions. Luckily, they were pretty basic, and in only about fifteen minutes Emma was pulling into a parking spot at the park. "Oh my gosh, the weather's perfect today." Emma commented, getting out of her car. Ross got out as well and stretched. "It is really nice out, actually. Good day for the amusement park." "Excuse me, Ross, but I don't think you've given me a hug yet today." Samantha said, immediately wrapping her arms around the boys neck. Emma took the opportunity to look at Samantha's outfit. She wore a tank top as well, though it was quite a bit tighter than the top Emma wore. Samantha had jean shorts on as well, which would have been okay if they weren't so short. Emma just decided that the outfit wasn't for herself, instead of criticizing Samantha over it.

Emma grabbed her things out of the car and shut the door. "Hey, Ross, could you text Laura and let her know we're here? Thanks." Samantha realized she'd have to let go of Ross for him to text Laura, so she let go of him, a smile on her face. "I'll head for the entrance. See you guys over there?" She said, more to Ross than to Emma. "Sure." He responded, a friendly smile on his face. Once she left, Ross sighed. "Okay, I get she likes me and everything, but one of these days she'll probably choke me by how tightly she hugs me." Emma laughed at him. While he sent a quick text to Laura, she smoothed down her shirt, which had become slightly wrinkled on the drive over. Ross must have seen her press the fabric against her empty stomach, because when she looked up at him, he looked concerned. "Have... you been eating enough? You look thinner than yesterday." Emma didn't want to lie to Ross, but she didn't want him to be worried about her either. 'It's sweet though,' she thought. 'That he would ask me that.' "I've just been watching the calories, that's all. Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself, really." She heard her voice get defensive as she spoke, and she avoided Ross's eyes while she spoke. He seemed unsure at first, then nodded. Emma tried to smile. "Let's just go have a good time, okay?" She asked him. He smiled at her. "Okay, that sounds like a good plan." Emma looked up at the boy, getting the feeling that he'd try to make her eat throughout the day. 'I guess it's kind of nice... having someone that cares about you like that.' she thought, walking with Ross towards the entrance.


	18. Chapter 18

As Emma and Ross approached the entrance, Emma could see Laura, Calum, Raini, Noah and Samantha waiting in a line by the entrance. Laura waved excitedly when she spotted the two, and Emma waved back. As they approached the line, Emma couldn't help but notice that many of the girls standing in the line were looking at Ross and whispering to each other. "It looks like you have a few admirers, Ross." Emma said, turning to the boy. "Yeah, that's pretty typical." he told her. As he finished his sentence, a young girl, probably only about thirteen years old, ran up to Ross. "Oh my God, you're Ross Lynch! Can I please get your autograph?!" The girl practically squealed. Ross laughed kindly. "Sure, you can." he told the girl. As he signed his name on a piece of paper the girl had, several other teenage girls walked towards Ross. "I'll see you over by the entrance, okay Emma?" He quickly told Emma before signing another autograph. Emma nodded, and walked towards their friends on her own. As she walked away, she was sure she could hear a few girls asking each other about, "Who that girl is?" Emma realized that the episode of Austin and Ally that she was in wouldn't be on TV for at least a few more days, and thus no one knew who she was. Emma couldn't help but frown when she saw out of the corner of her eye a few girls pointing at her and laughing. She tried to tell herself that these girls were just silly, young teenage girls, who clearly had no clue who they were talking about. 'But still,' she looked at the girls who, instead of looking away quickly, gave Emma a death glare. 'People talking behind your back totally sucks.' "Hey!" Laura said excitedly, running up to Emma and giving her a hug. "Hey," Emma responded, trying to put a smile on. "Wow, you guys must have gotten here early to get such a good spot in line." Laura laughed. "Actually, there were some fans of the show who let us cut in front of them. I'm telling you, sometimes fame has its serious perks." Emma was surprised to hear that Laura, who was one of the kindest people she was sure she'd ever met, would use her fame to cut in line. Still, Emma couldn't help but laugh at the girl. "Wow, I guess so." Emma told her. She said hello to both Calum and Raini, who she had been introduced to the day before. She could immediately tell that she'd like the two a lot; both were hilarious, with fun personalities.


	19. Chapter 19

"Hey, Emma." Emma turned to see Noah, the smile on his face just as cute as the day before. "Hey." she smiled back. She couldn't help but notice just how great Noah looked; he wore a button-up collared flannel shirt from Hollister, with the top couple of buttons undone and no T-shirt underneath so you could see his perfect tan. 'Oh my gosh, he has zero tan lines.' Emma thought, hoping she wasn't blushing. He wore tan khakis, just like Ross. Emma glanced back over to where Ross was. At the moment, he was getting a photo taken with a girl who looked to be about fifteen. She was surprised to see that, once their photo had been taken, the girl got on her toes and gave Ross a quick kiss on the cheek. Ross continued to smile as he signed autographs, and Emma wondered if he liked all of the praise he got from his fans. "Do you ever get swarmed by girls like that?" Emma asked Noah as the line began to move and the two walked next to each other. "Like Ross gets swarmed by girls? Nah, not really. He definitely gives the most autographs out of everyone in the show." Emma nodded, glancing back again to where Ross was. "So, tell me. Do you wish you were that girl just now?" He asked Emma, nodding towards the crowd of girls. "Which girl?" Emma asked, confused. "The one that just kissed Ross a second ago." 'What?' Emma was surprised. 'Does this mean... he thinks I have a thing for Ross?' Emma laughed nervously. "No, we're just friends, that's all." Noah nodded, and the group moved forward until there were only a few people between them and the entrance. Laura had gestured to Ross to hurry up, and he managed to say goodbye and get away from the group of girls. "Sorry, guys." he told the group. He high-fived Calum and said hey to Noah and Raini.

"So," Laura said once the gang had purchased their tickets and gone inside the park. "what should we ride first?" Calum suggested one of the parks more intense roller coasters, and the rest of the group agreed. While Emma wasn't so sure about starting her day on a fast, tall roller coaster, she smiled and followed everyone as they walked towards the ride. As they approached the ride, Emma began to feel weird in her stomach. She couldn't really tell if it was because of how intense the ride looked, or because of the fact that she hadn't eaten anything in the past two days. "Don't tell me you're afraid of roller coasters?" Ross asked, walking next to Emma as the group got in line. "Afraid? No way. I'm just not so sure about starting off on such an intense ride, that's all." Emma said plainly, eyes still on the ride. She could hear screams from the young people who were already on the ride. "I don't think it'll be too bad. But hey, if you want to start off on a different ride, I can come with." Emma thought it was sweet, that Ross would offer to come with her if she didn't want to go on this ride. But at the same time, she didn't want to keep him from having a good time. "No, thanks though. I think I'll tough it out." she told him with a smile, and Ross returned the smile. In no time at all, the group reached the front of the line. Emma took a deep breath before climbing into a seat, and began to feel more relaxed when Ross climbed into the seat next to her. "You ready?" he asked Emma. "Oh, I was born ready." Emma joked, making Ross laugh at her.

Emma was shocked at how much fun she had on the roller coaster. Once it ended, she turned to Ross and told him that they needed to ride it again today. For the next few hours, the gang rode several rides and walked throughout the park. Emma spent most of the time talking to Ross and Laura. As for Noah, he didn't say too much to her after their conversation that morning. Every time Emma looked his way, he would be talking to Laura. Though Emma was disappointed that he wasn't talking to her, she began to think Laura and Noah were good friends. "I'm getting SO hungry." Laura spoke up as the group passed several food stands. "I think I'm gonna go grab an elephant ear. Anyone want to come with me?" she asked. Emma decided that it was probably about time she eat something. Besides, who said this break-up had to control her eating habits? "I'll come with, Laura." Emma said before turning to Ross and speaking a bit more quietly. "I guess it's about time I eat something other than coffee." Ross smiled at her. "That sounds like a good idea. See ya in a few." He and Noah and Calum headed for a table while Laura, Emma, Raini and Samantha walked over to one of the food stands. While Raini and Samantha headed for different food stands, Laura and Emma walked towards an elephants ears stand. "So," Laura started. "You and Ross, huh?"

"Oh my goodness." Emma said, making Laura laugh. "Does it really look like we're dating?" Laura shrugged. "Not yet. You two look like you might be talking, though...?" Emma smiled at Laura. "To be honest with you, I just got out of a relationship. I guess Ross has kind of been helping me get over the guy. But you can trust me, we're just friends." Laura frowned, and Emma hoped she didn't make her feel bad by bringing up the break-up. "Oh my gosh, I had no idea. I'm really sorry." Emma shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Anyway, let's talk about your love life." Emma said, getting Laura to laugh. "Well, it's nonexistent, I can tell you that for sure." Emma smiled. "Maybe as of right now. Do you like anybody?" Emma was beginning to think she knew the answer. And sure, she wouldn't be too happy to hear it. But, like she had decided before, she wasn't planning on acting on her feelings. After all, she'd be leaving in only a few more days. "Well, if we're being honest here..." Laura began. "I... may have had a crush on Noah since the day we started acting together." 'Knew it.' Emma thought. "But we're only friends, and I feel like if I talked to him about it and he didn't feel the same way, it could ruin our friendship. I just really don't want that to happen." Emma smiled, as much as she wished that it wasn't Noah that she was interested in. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

The two bought their elephant ears from the stand and headed for the table the guys were sitting at. "Oh, shoot." Laura said. "I forgot napkins. Sorry, I'll just take a second." As Emma watched her friend walk back towards the food stand, she heard bits and pieces of what Ross and his friends were talking about at the table. It sounded like they were talking about Brittany. "Didn't you guys break-up like, a couple of months ago?" Calum asked, tossing his cell phone between both hands while he spoke. "Yeah, something like that." Ross told him, though Emma was pretty sure Ross knew how long it had been since they broke up. While Emma knew it was wrong, she tried to blend into the crowd while she listened to what the guys were saying. "Are you looking for a new girlfriend yet?" Noah asked. Ross shook his head. "Not really." Emma was a bit shocked to hear the next part of the conversation. "What about Emma? She's cute." Noah asked. Emma tried to listen closely. When she heard Ross's response, however, she began to wish she never had heard any of the conversation. "Uhh... yeah, she's okay." Ross told them. "To be honest, nobody's as cute as Brittany." 'Ouch.' Emma felt her heart sink. 'So I'm just... okay?' Emma's thoughts went back to the other night, when Ross had been telling her about Brittany. 'He made it sound like looks didn't even matter to him. And now... he's saying I don't even compare to Brittany.' Emma looked up and saw Laura walking her way, now with Raini and Samantha. She knew she'd have to put on a fake smile and hold back any tears. After all, crying would just lead to a lot of questions. And plus, she wanted everybody to enjoy themselves and have a fun day. Laura smiled when she approached Emma. "Sorry I took so long, you ready?" Emma nodded, and followed the other girls towards the table. Though she suddenly really didn't want to sit by Ross, she knew it'd look funny if she sat by anyone else. Ross looked at her as she took a seat next to him. He smiled, probably noticing that she wasn't in as high of spirits as she had been earlier. "You okay?" he asked her quietly while everyone else was having their own conversations. Emma realized he probably thought she looked upset because she was finally eating something for the first time in days, despite not wanting to. Emma couldn't bring herself to look Ross in the eyes, but she tried to smile. "Yeah. I'm okay."


	20. Chapter 20

Once the girls finished eating their food, the group spent a few hours more on riding roller coasters and walking around. Emma noticed that, despite being considered "okay"-looking, Ross still walked next to her and talked to her for most of the rest of the day. But Emma couldn't help it; while Ross spoke to her, she felt bitterness building up inside of her. 'How could he say that about me? I mean, sure, he didn't know I was standing close by. But maybe I just thought...' Emma continued to nod along to whatever Ross was saying, though she wasn't listening to any of it. 'I thought he was different. Than Jackson. Than everybody.' "Emma?" She had hardly noticed that Laura had just asked her a question. "Oh, I'm sorry. What did you say?" Emma asked. "I just asked if you wanted to go out to eat at a restaurant around here. Are you alright? You seem kind of out of it." Laura asked her, concern in her voice. Ross still stood next to Emma, and she could feel his eyes on her. "Oh." Emma started. "Um, yeah. Actually, I think I better skip the restaurant. I'm getting a little headache." Laura frowned. "Really? Gosh, I'm sorry. Well I hope you feel better soon! Maybe we can go out to eat another night this week." Laura told her, a friendly and encouraging smiled coming back to her face. "Yeah, maybe. Thanks for inviting me though." She told Laura. She couldn't look at Ross, but she had a feeling he didn't believe her when she said she had a headache. "I think we're going to head out in just a few minutes, so we can walk out with you." Once Laura turned around to make dinner plans with the rest of the group, Emma turned to Ross. She avoided eye-contact while she talked to him. "Sorry, you and Samantha can find another ride home, right?" Emma asked him. "Yeah... yeah, we can. Are you sure you don't want to come with us? I bet it'll be a lot of fun. Plus Laura knows like, the best places to eat." Emma couldn't help but laugh a little at that last part; Laura did seem like the type of girl that LOVED to eat since she'd never gain weight from it. "Yeah, I think I'll just head back to my hotel. Eat something tasty for me though, okay?"

The gang of friends exited the park and, after being asked by a few fans to sign more autographs, headed through the parking lot. Ross and Samantha figured out a ride with Calum to the restaurant. "Hey, I'm gonna walk Emma over to her car really fast. Cool?" "Cool." Calum responded and fist-bumped Ross, who walked quickly to catch up with Emma. "So, do you actually have a headache?" he asked Emma, who looked forward while she walked. She didn't like lying, but she really wanted to get away from Ross as quickly as possible. "Just a little one. I just thought I'd go to sleep early tonight." The two finally got to Emma's car, and Emma unlocked it and attempted to grab the car handle. That is, until Ross stepped in front of her. Emma finally looked up at Ross's face, only thinking of how she wasn't nearly attractive enough to be standing in front of such a good-looking guy. "Look, I know something's up. Did I do something?" he asked her, remaining in Emma's way. 'Yes.' she thought. 'But then again, was it really your fault? Or was it just my fault for not being good enough for you?' "No, you didn't do anything." 'And that's not a lie.' Emma thought. 'He didn't ask me if he had said something.' "Look, I'm okay." She attempted to put a big, fake smile on her face. She looked up at his face, and saw that his eyes looked just as amazing as usual. But his smile wasn't there. He was worried about her. "Text me if you need anything, okay?"

Emma was shocked by what happened next. She felt Ross's fingers brush against her own, then he took her hands in his own and gave a friendly squeeze. Emma looked down at her hands. She couldn't think of what to say. "Um..." She started. "Yeah, okay." She couldn't think of anything else to say, but luckily that was all Ross need to hear. He gave a small smile, then let go of her hands and heading for Calum's car. Emma stood there, probably looking like an idiot, for a few more seconds, then watched Ross walking away. 'Wow.' she thought. 'What was that? But he said just early that he thought I was, "just okay." So why would he...' Emma rubbed her hands together for a minute. 'Wow. I think I actually am getting a headache from trying to figure this one out.'


	21. Chapter 21

Emma woke up to the feeling of her phone vibrating in her pocket. Normally she'd turn her phone off overnight. Not only had she forgotten to turn off her phone; she had also never changed into sleepwear, and thus was still wearing her shorts and top from the day before. "Wow." Emma said aloud, rubbing at her eyes and face. 'I must have been really exhausted last night. I think I fell asleep before eight o'clock...' She sighed deeply, then turned onto her stomach and covered up her face with her hands. '...What's with me lately? I know I just got dumped and everything, but... I'm never like this.' Emma turned over once again onto her backside, then stared up at the ceiling. 'I mean, I guess it could be because of what Ross said about me. But... then yesterday, before I left the theme park. He held my hands. So... what does that mean?' Emma's thoughts continued to scatter through her mind. "Uggh!" She shouted into a pillow before throwing it on the floor. "Why is this so confusing?"

Emma slid her hand into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She had received a new text from Rydel. "Shoot." Emma had completely forgotten about the shopping day she and Rydel had planned. Emma pressed the Open button. "Hey girl, I'll be there in twenty! Will you be ready?" Emma responded quickly and headed for the bathroom. She took a speedy shower and quickly picked out her outfit. Emma decided on a gray roomy, comfy tank top and a pair of skinny jean capris. She put on a pair of metallic sandals that were cute as well as comfy, which seemed like a winner when it came to shopping all day. Once she'd brushed her teeth and styled her hair quickly, Emma grabbed her phone, wallet and purse and headed for the door.

With the spare few minutes she had remaining before Rydel was supposed to pick her up, Emma bought a coffee from the hotel's cafe. She then decided it was about time she eat some solid carbohydrates, and bought a bagel as well. 'I guess I'll need energy for shopping. I wonder if Rydel loves to shop as much as I do.' Emma had always considered herself a bargain-hunter, purchasing shirts and jeans that were typically ten dollars or less. But she decided she'd be a little less frugal today; after all, it would probably be the only chance in her lifetime that she'd get to shop in Los Angeles.

While Emma stood outside the hotel entrance, breaking apart her bagel, she felt her phone vibrate. Ross had texted her. "Hey, wanna hang out later? We can talk." 'Talk?' Emma thought. 'The last thing I want to do right now is talk to Ross. He'll probably keep asking me what was up with me yesterday.' She pressed the Respond button. "Maybe. If I'm not completely exhausted from shopping, that is." She sent the message as Rydel's car pulled up to the curb. "Hey! Are you ready for an amazing day of shopping?" Rydel asked her with so much enthusiasm that Emma couldn't help but crack up. "Oh gosh, I'm so ready." she responded with a smile.

Emma couldn't believe her eyes when she saw some of the shops; Juicy Couture, Gucci, Louis Vuitton. Then she spotted some of her favorites from home; giant Forever 21, Aeropostale and H&M buildings. "Oh. My. Gosh." Emma told Rydel in disbelief as they drove down a busy street. Rydel laughed. "I know, right? I love this place." Rydel pulled into a parking garage and the two got out of the car. By what Rydel was wearing-teal-colored skinny jeans, heels and a fun, floral Tee, Emma guessed that Rydel shared her adoration of shopping. "Well, where to first? I can show you some of my favorites around here if you want." Rydel said with a smile. "Sure, that'd be awesome." Emma agreed happily.

The two spent the next few hours looking through some more expensive shops. Rydel never tried on anything, and Emma felt relieved when Rydel told her that she didn't like to splurge much while she was shopping. As the two left one shop and began walking down the street, Emma noticed a particular dress out of the corner of her eye. In a window at a boutique across the street was a gorgeous formal dress, a short silver dress with black layers of fabric peaking out from underneath the skirt. Emma realized then that she still hadn't purchased her prom dress.

Emma tried on the dress, Rydel waiting excitedly to see her friend. Emma loved everything about it as she pulled it on; there were simple black details that added elegance but weren't anything too serious. It was just what she wanted. "What do you think?" She asked Rydel as she came out of the small changing room. Emma saw her reflection in a mirror when she came out of the room, and she almost couldn't believe how well the dress fit. 'Wow.' Emma thought. 'This is the best I've felt in days.' "Oh my gosh, I love that dress. You have to buy it." Rydel told Emma excitedly. Emma smiled before checking out the price tag. "Yikes." she said aloud, showing the tag to Rydel. The dress would be $150, about $50 more than she had planned on paying on a prom dress. "Oh, no." Rydel told her, frowning. "So you don't think you can spend a little extra? I mean, you only go to prom once, twice if you're lucky." Emma looked in the mirror at her reflection, then sighed. "No," she told Rydel, then tried to smile. "I'll just have to find a different dress, no big deal." With some regret, Emma headed back into the changing room and changed into her clothes. 'Must not be meant to be.' Emma thought with a frown as she placed the dress back on a rack of clothing. She turned to Rydel, who smiled encouragingly. "I'm sorry, Emma. Wanna head to Forever 21? I love that place. Way more affordable, too." Emma smiled as well, and the two headed out the door.


	22. Chapter 22

Emma and Rydel spent about an hour inside of Forever 21 before tiring down. While Rydel purchased a few new tops, Emma hadn't found anything too special. Emma felt a bit disappointed about leaving the store without purchasing anything new. That is until they headed for the exit and Emma spotted a dress. No, definitely not a dress for prom. 'But it's really cute.' Emma thought, eyeing the garment. The dress was a little black cocktail dress, one of those skintight ones that could look gross if you didn't get the correct size. It had three-quarter length sleeves, which Emma thought made the dress look updated and chic. She tried to think of what she could ever possibly wear the dress to as she began walking past it, then had an idea; the party to celebrate R5 signing with Hollywood Records. 'That could be perfect.' she thought, then turned to Rydel. "Hey Rydel, do you think I could try on this one dress? I think it might be just what I want for the party in a couple of nights." Rydel's face, which just moments before looked ready for a nap, brightened up once again. "Of course, you can try on a dress for the party! Oh my gosh, you have no clue how excited I am for it." Rydel continued to tell Emma about all the celebrities she had heard may come to the party as the two headed for the dressing room, Emma carrying the little black dress.

Emma walked into the waiting room where Rydel sat, and looked in the mirror. She felt unusual. The dress was slimming, much more slimming than what she usually wore. Sure, it showed off her curves, and Emma noticed that her stomach, which was her usual problem area, didn't look too bad. "How perfect!" Rydel commented. "Wow Emma, you're going to look sexy in that dress." "Sexy? Great, I'm going to look like one of those make-up-covered, fake hair-and-nails girls from my school that I always make fun of." Emma told Rydel, recalling some teens in her school that would push the limit of the dress code by wearing a short skirt and low-cut top. Emma had never been like those girls. She had always been a minimalist when it came to make-up, and she had never gotten highlights in her hair before. "No way, Emma, you'll look totally normal. Trust me, other girls will be wearing much skimpier clothes, especially if they're only there to flirt with my brothers. And trust me, there'll be some of those girls." Rydel said, sticking her tongue out in disgust. "But you, you'll look chic and sophisticated! Especially in a pair of sparkling heels and some pretty jewelry. By the way, I think I have the perfect pair of heels for that dress." She told her friend with a smile. "Really?" Emma asked, still indecisive about the dress. "Wait, what are you wearing to this party?" "One of my classic tutus, of course!" Rydel said, a big smile on her face. Rydel was known to wear a different tutu while performing in all of R5's concerts, so of course she'd want to wear one to the party. Emma smiled, then looked in the mirror one last time. 'Well,' she thought. 'This whole week has been full of new experiences. Why not add just one more by wearing a dress that's out of the ordinary?'

Moments later, Emma and Rydel left Forever 21, both with bags in their hands. Emma was excited, not only to be leaving with a new dress, but also excited that the dress was only the pretty price of $16.50. Emma knew that, with the help of the shoes and jewelry that Rydel had agreed to let her borrow, the dress would look like it cost far more than what she had payed. The two headed for Rydel's car now, both feeling tired and ready to rest their feet. Rydel continued to tell Emma more about what she knew so far about the party as they drove to Emma's hotel. She told her about the extravagant building it would be held at that sat right on the beach, next to the water. While Rydel spoke, Emma continued to get more and more excited for the party. Rydel finished telling Emma what she knew about the party as they pulled up by the entrance of the hotel. "Anyway, it's going to be so, so fun." Rydel said excitedly. "I'll get those shoes and that jewelry to you before the party, by the way. Oh gosh, you're going to look so good!" Emma laughed. "Thanks, I know you'll look great too. And thanks for taking me shopping today, it was really fun." Rydel smiled. "I had a lot of fun, too. Wish we could do it again sometime." Rydel added. It reminded Emma that she would, in fact, be leaving in only a few days. And after that, she wasn't even sure if she'd ever see Rydel again. Or the rest of her family. 'Including Ross." Emma thought, feeling a bit sad suddenly. She tried to smile anyway. "Yeah." she told Rydel. "I'll see you later, okay?" Rydel smiled and nodded, then waved as she drove off.

Emma got inside her hotel room, then walked straight to her bed and lied down. Then, it was quiet. The most quiet it had been all day. And Emma was alone, with only her thoughts. 'It's bittersweet.' she began to think. 'I mean, I'm excited to get to go back home and see my family and friends again. And I miss them. I'll have so much to tell them all.' Emma frowned, knowing the break-up wouldn't exactly be the most wonderful news. 'But I'm really going to miss it here. Los Angeles is so different for a suburbs girl like me, it's so extraordinary. And the people here...' her mind trailed on, thinking of the Austin and Ally cast and crew, the Lynch family... "And Ross." She said aloud, a bit surprised at herself. Who would have known she would miss one person so much after only knowing them for a week?

Emma's thoughts were interrupted suddenly from a vibration in her pocket. She had received a new text from... "Jackson?" Emma pressed the open button immediately, then read the screen. "I was wrong, Emma. I'm really sorry. Want to get back together?"

Emma's mind was blank. She couldn't think straight. She almost couldn't believe her eyes. This guy, who only a couple days before decided to break her heart by telling her that he'd found another girl and that it was over, wanted her to forgive him and start dating him again. 'How... how could he do this?' she thought. He broke her heart. He cheated on her. And now he wanted her back. Emma continued to stare at her phone screen. 'Should... should I text him back? What should I say? What should I do.' It was so overwhelming, and Emma felt her eyes become moist. It was odd, she was almost completely sure that after she'd cried so much a few days earlier, she'd be finished. And she'd have moved on. And she'd text back immediately with some spiffy message about how she was too good for him and he had lost his chance with something great. But that girl wasn't there. Instead, there was a confused, unconfident girl, with trembling hands and a throbbing mind.

Finally, she couldn't take it. She had to get out of that room. Go somewhere. Anywhere. Get her mind on something else. Through the blurriness in her mind, she had an idea. She sent a quick text, fingers shaking as she did so. It was to Ross. "Hey, can we go to a party? Like a real party." It was something she had never done before, go to a party in a huge house with loud music and alcohol. It wasn't something she was into either. But right then, she just wanted to get away. And that seemed like the best possibly way to at the time.

Ross texted her back a minute later. "I can ask around. You really want to go to a party? Doesn't seem like your thing." 'That's cause it isn't.' she thought, but just texted back quickly. "Just thought it sounded fun." Emma went into her bathroom and fixed up her hair some. She didn't want to change clothes. She had never taken off her shoes since she'd gotten back. Her phone finally vibrated, and her hand shook as it opened the phone. "My friend Andrew has a party going on tonight. You sure you're up to it?" Emma quickly responded. "Yeah. I'll pick you up in a few?" She didn't wait for a response. She put in different earrings and a headband so that she wouldn't look so pathetic. She grabbed her purse and was about to leave. But she felt so awful. She felt like her self-esteem had plummeted. She sat on the carpet of her hotel room and cried for a few minutes, then got up and left through one of the side entrances of the hotel to avoid anyone seeing her. As she walked to her car, she turned off her phone and threw it in her purse. She wouldn't be looking at it for the rest of the night. She wouldn't think about Jackson any longer.


	23. Chapter 23

Emma payed little attention while driving over to Ross's house. She hadn't realized she'd been going ten over the speed limit until she pulled into his neighborhood. Even then, she didn't worry about it. Her mind was somewhere else. She tried to get her thoughts elsewhere, but she couldn't stop seeing Jackson's text in her head. He had told her he wanted her back, and he was sorry. 'And...' Emma thought, 'I was so happy with him... But... he cheated on me. How can I forgive him after that?' Emma was so distracted that she passed Ross's house, and had to turn around and drive back.

When she finally pulled into to his driveway, Ross was sitting on the steps of his front porch, waiting for her. He smiled before standing up and walking over to her car. Emma took the opportunity to notice that Ross seemed to be able to pull off anything he wore. Today he had on a preppy-looking button-up shirt that looked like it was from Hollister. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, showing off his tan arms. His hair was gorgeous. Emma couldn't help but smile back. "Hey." He said, getting into her car. "What's up?" "Hey." Emma replied. "You ready to have a good time?" At least she hoped they'd have fun. She just wanted to hear loud music that just might blur all of the thoughts running through her head. Ross's smiled faded. "Uhh..." he started. "I have to be honest, I never party. But I'll come with you if you're up for going. I mean, I don't want you to go alone anyway." Emma looked over at Ross, who happened to be looking back at her. He started to look concerned. "Unless you just want to tell me what's wrong now." Emma couldn't believe it. She had never known someone that could understand her so well after knowing her for only a few days. Still, she wouldn't tell him about Jackson. "What? Nothing's wrong. I just thought we could do something fun. Look," she made up an excuse. "If I was at home right now, I wouldn't be going to a party. My parents never let me do stuff like this. I just thought I'd try something different while I had the chance." Ross looked at her, then looked down. "Yeah, okay." Emma immidiatly felt guilty. She had just lied to him, and had probably sounded rude when she spoke. "Ross, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like a jerk or anything. And... I'm really glad you're coming with me." Ross smiled and looked at her again. "Like I said, I wouldn't have let you go to this thing alone. You have to be careful with who you hang out with at parties." "Oh, sounds like you're the expert here." Emma told him jokingly. "Okay, well you can keep me updated on who's bad news and who's okay." She told him. He nodded. "Sounds like a plan." They continued to look at each other for a few more seconds, before Emma broke the silence. "So, you know how to get to this place or are we just driving until we find a party?" Emma asked jokingly. Ross laughed. "I know how to get there. Andrew's place is pretty close. His house is huge, by the way. You'll love it." Emma smiled. She couldn't deny it; she did love big houses. But who didn't?

Emma turned on the radio as she pulled out of Ross's driveway. The radio station that had preset in her car turned out to be a popular one in Los Angeles, with mostly Pop songs on it. Right then, it was playing a Hot Chelle Rae song, and one of Emma's favorites; "Whatever." She realized the song was actually pretty perfect for the mood she was in, since it was entirely about all of the crummy stuff that had happened and saying "whatever" to all of it. Emma planned on not singing along to the song like she usually did when she was driving, since she'd probably annoy Ross. Then he started humming along to the chorus. "You like Hot Chelle Rae?" Emma asked, not too surprised. "Yeah, who doesn't? Their music is so good." Ross said, then added, "Their lyrics are really catchy, too." He began singing along with the chorus. And, as expected, he sounded really, really good. When the second verse began, Emma started to sing along. It was her favorite part of the song. "I was talking on the phone, ran into the back of a Cadillac. Then I hit the gas, so the six-foot chick wouldn't kick my ass." Ross laughed at Emma, and she hoped it wasn't because of singing. "That's like, my favorite part of the song." Emma told him. "Don't make fun of my singing, okay?" "What? No, I thought you sounded really good actually. Keep on singing." Ross said with a smile before singing along with the song. Emma began singing along as well, and most of the rest of their drive was spent singing along to Hot Chelle Rae, Fall Out Boy, and Imagine Dragons.

It wasn't until they were driving down the street that Andrew's house was on that Emma began thinking about something Ross had said earlier. He had told her that he wouldn't have let her go to this party alone. Sure, at first she had just let this sentence go in one ear and out the other. But now she was starting to think that maybe he said that because he cared about her. At least in a friendly way, just like a friend wouldn't want you to do something dangerous or stupid. 'So this must mean he thinks of me as a friend... right?" Emma started to wonder. Either way, it was sweet. It kind of reminded her of something her parents would say, if they wanted to protect her from a bad situation or something. And, she had to admit, it was nice knowing their was someone that would be there for her if she needed him.

Emma pulled up next to the curb behind another car, only a few houses away from Andrew's house. It was dark by then, and you could see lights through the windows of his house, which Emma thought looked like a mansion. Then, Emma began to feel nervous. Sure, she had wanted to get out of her hotel room. 'Maybe going to a party wasn't the best idea I've ever had, though...' she began to think. "You ready?" Ross asked Emma, opening the car door. "Umm..." Emma started, looking back at the house, A car pulled up behind Emma's and a few teenagers, who seemed to already be buzzed, walked towards the house excitedly. They all looked about her age, and Emma started to think the only way that she could "fit in" there was if she drank at this party. She, however began to dread the idea. "You know, we don't have to go in." He told her. "Or, you could just not drink anything. I know I won't." He said honestly. Emma thought for a minute, before smiling at him. "Let's just go for it." She told him. She opened her car door and, though she was still nervous, she felt excited. She decided then that she wouldn't drink anything the whole night. Who knew, maybe she'd have a lot of fun without drinking.


	24. Chapter 24

Emma followed closely behind Ross as the two entered the house. Since the night was still young, everyone was acting pretty normal. Ross said hey to a few friends as they made their way through the crowd, and Emma noticed that there were quite a few people at the party already. 'This Andrew guy must be pretty popular.' Emma thought before noticing Ross stop to talk to someone. "Hey man, how have you been?" The guy asked Ross. He appeared to be Emma's age. 'Actually,' Emma thought, 'this guy looks kind of familiar. That's weird...' "Hey, I've been great. Thanks for inviting us." He turned towards Emma. "This is my friend Emma, by the way." The guy looked at Emma. He had brown hair and bright green eyes, and Emma wondered if all of Ross's friends were just as good-looking as him. "Emma? Oh my gosh. Didn't I go to grade school with you before I moved to California?" Emma was shocked. She remembered him. "Wait a second, Andrew Marshal? Oh my gosh, I can't believe it's you. How have you been?" She asked, able to feel a huge smile form on her face. Andrew gave her a friendly hug. "I've been great. Wow, it's been, what? Seven, Eight years? You look really good." Emma felt her face begin to turn pink. Did a really attractive guy actually just tell her she looked good? "Yeah, something like that. And Thanks." He smiled. "Well I'm gonna say hey to some more people. Maybe we can catch up later." "Okay, sure." Emma replied before Andrew headed into the crowd. 'Whoa,' Emma thought. 'Of all of the people in California, we come to Andrew's house for a party. How crazy is that.' "Okay, somebody's in love." Ross remarked, bringing Emma out of her train of thought. "What? Ha. No way. I just haven't seen him in forever, that's all." Emma told him, still blushing. "Alright, whatever you say." Ross teased her. Emma just smiled back and shook her head. "Hey, I'm gonna go catch up with a few people, will you be okay?" Ross asked Emma, spotting a few more friends of his. "What? Yes, I'll be fine. Go talk to your friends." She told him with a smile, and he smiled back. "Okay. Won't be long, I promise." He told her before heading over to some friends. For a second, she didn't want him to leave. She wanted to hang out with him. But he probably hadn't had time to talk to most of his friends lately, with all the time he spent practicing and performing with R5 and recording for Austin and Ally. So Emma let it go. 'Maybe I can still have a good time on my own.'

Emma headed towards where the kitchen appeared to be. The house was gorgeous; probably the same size as Ross's place. The house looked to be perfect for hosting parties; a huge living room space, where a DJ had set up all of his equipment was playing music. Several people were already dancing. Not really any inappropriate dancing or anything, just a bunch of people having a good time. The music was pretty good, with a lot of new songs as well as classic favorites thrown in. Emma recognized a lot of the songs, and wondered if it would be nearly as much fun dancing by herself. She instead made her way to the kitchen, which was really pretty and full of teens hanging out. Emma did feel a bit out of place, since she knew no one at the party. But why should she care? She'd probably never see any of these people again. Emma grabbed a bottle of water, thankful that there wasn't really much alcohol at the party. Actually, it looked like Andrew hadn't provided any alcohol for the party. 'Well, that's pretty cool of him. Even though his friends are probably just going to bring there own stuff.'

Emma headed back in to the open living room, and found an open spot on a couch. She listened to the music for a few minutes before Andrew sat next to her, plastic red cup in hand. "You look like you might need a drink." He told Emma with a smile. "A friend of mine just showed up with some stuff, you want anything?" 'Well, so much for thinking he wasn't going to drink.' Emma thought. "No thanks, I'm good." She told him, a bottle of water still in her hand. She was relieved to see him only smile back and not ask her again. "Alright. So what have you been up to?" The two talked for a bit and caught up, and Andrew seemed to still be the friendly guy she knew several years before. "So you wanna dance or something? I love this song." He told her with a smile. Emma recognized the song as Glad You Came by The Wanted, a favorite of hers as well. She nodded and followed him into the group of people. "I'm not much of a dancer." She said to Andrew over the loud music. "Hey that makes two of us." He said, getting Emma to laugh. Emma merely tried to move to the beat and just have fun, and she did have fun. As the song neared its end, Emma met eyes with Andrew for a few seconds. She smiled at him, and he smiled back. She felt pretty comfortable with him until she felt his hands on her hips. Her smile began to fade, and she realized she must of given Andrew the wrong idea. Plus he had been drinking and probably wasn't really thinking straight. 'Wait a second, I'm not interested in Andrew. What am I doing?' Emma thought. When the song finished and a new one began, Andrew leaned down so Emma could hear him. "Wanna go some place quieter? We can talk more." Emma felt her face getting warmer. She was nervous. Where was Ross? "Uh, that's okay." She told him, nudging his hands, hoping that he'd let go. His smile began to fade as well. "I thought you were into me. Don't tell me, you and Ross are together?" Emma shook her head. "No, we're not together. Look, let's just keep dancing or something." He tried to smile again, and leaned in a bit closer. "Wait, you're not dating anybody, which means you can't get in trouble. You sure you don't want to go upstairs?" He was trying to kiss her. She pushed him back. Bad idea.

Andrew frowned. "What's with you?" He asked, finally letting go of her hips. He looked like he was getting annoyed. "Look, I'm sorry. It's just-" "If you were sorry, you'd just kiss me. Come on, it doesn't even mean anything." Emma was freaking out. She needed to get out of there. "Andrew, I just don't want to. Look, maybe I should-" "Maybe you should leave." Andrew said, getting angry. By now a couple of people were looking at them, but no one said anything, probably in fear that they'd get kicked out of the party. Then, Andrew grabbed her arms. "Look, just kiss me or I'm kicking you out." Emma started shaking. She was scared. She tried to push Andrew away again, which was probably an even worse idea. He pushed her. Emma fell into a couple of people, with how crowded the dance floor was. She looked into his eyes, which looked really angry by now. "You're such a loser. Get out." He picked her up forcefully and by the wrists, and looked like he was about to drag her to the door.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Ross pushed Andrew away from Emma. "What am I doing? What are you doing!? This chick won't even kiss a guy, what the hell is wrong with her?" He tried to grab Emma again, put Ross nailed him in the jaw first. Emma couldn't believe it; Ross just punched the guy. Several gasps were heard from the many teens who were now watching. "Go to the car, Emma." Ross said as Andrew got back up, his cheek becoming swollen and red. Emma turned around and pushed through the crowd, everyone's eyes now fixed on the guys. Some people were shouting for them to fight. Emma finally made it outside and gasped for breath. She was horrified. But she couldn't just leave Ross.

A minute later, Ross finally came outside and saw Emma. "I told you go to the car! Oh my gosh, are you okay?!" Emma was shocked that he was the one asking if she was okay, when he just got into a fight. And he clearly wasn't okay; he was bleeding just above his eyebrow. "Oh my gosh, did Andrew hit you? Ross, I'm so sorry." Emma was getting choked up. "Don't worry. I can't believe I left you alone, Andrew could have seriously hurt you. Please tell me he didn't hurt you?" Ross looked at Emma, who felt tears running down her face. She felt her wrists sting, but she shook her head. Ross knew she wasn't okay. "Let's go. I'll drive." Ross grabbed Emma's hand and pulled her towards the car. She followed him quickly.

Once to her car, she dug out several tissues from the middle compartment. "Come here." She said, and tried to soak up the blood from where Ross had been hit. Her hands shook, and she tried to steady herself by putting one hand on the back of Ross's head while she soaked up some the blood using her other hand. His hair felt soft, and Emma wondered if she'd ever get to feel it again. Ross looked at her, then noticed her wrists. "Emma, you're bleeding!" It turned out that Andrew must have dug his nails into Emma's skin when he grabbed her, because there were small nail marks on her wrists. He took a few tissues from Emma and tried to soak up the blood on her wrists. "I never should have left you alone. I can't believe Andrew did this to you." Emma looked down at her wrists, then up at Ross, who was focusing on her wrists. He looked so concerned, so worried. "Ross, I never meant for any of this to happen." she told him, tears still running down you face. "It wasn't your fault. It wasn't your fault at all. Here, I'll drive you to the hotel. Keep this on the cuts, okay?"

Minutes later, the two arrived at Emma's hotel. They went through one of the side entrances to avoid seeing anyone, and headed straight for Emma's room. Once Emma saw her bed, she sat down and gasped for breath again. She started to cry. "I was really scared, Ross." Emma said, starting to cry harder. "He asked me if I wanted to go upstairs, then he told me he'd kick me out if I didn't kiss him, and I should have just kissed him. I should of-" "Hey, hey, hey." Ross said to her, just like he had the other night when he was comforting her after she was dumped. "I'm right here, okay? I'm here now. And I should have been there sooner." Ross embraced her, and Emma dug her face into his chest. "I'm so sorry." He whispered to her as she cried. She continued to shake softly, so Ross held her tighter. Before long, Emma fell asleep in Ross's arms. Ross didn't want to leave, in fear that Emma might wake up and he not be there. He sent a text to Riker asking him to tell their parents he was sleeping over at a friend's house, then fell asleep in a chair in Emma's room.


	25. Chapter 25

Emma woke up the next morning to the sound of "Love to Love Her" by R5 playing. She blinked a few times and readjusted her head to see where the song was coming from. Ross was sitting in a comfy-looking chair a few feet away from her bed, still asleep, his cell phone playing the ringtone. Emma looked at him for a minute, paying attention to the way his chest rose and fell as he breathed. Just a second later, he moved slightly and squeezed his eyelids shut before blinking a few times. He looked at Emma, who was still look back at him. She felt her face grow warm. "Uh... morning." She said, embarrassed that he could probably tell she had just been watching him. He smiled and laughed lightly. "Morning. Sorry, hope this didn't wake you up." He reached for his cell phone out of his pocket. Emma knew that his phone had woken her up, but she just smiled and shook her head. As Ross checked his phone, Emma realized that she was still laying down on her bed. She quickly sat up, maybe a little too quickly, because she almost fell off the side of her bead. She immediately backed up and sat up again, hoping Ross hadn't noticed how silly she probably looked. Emma looked down and realized a few of the covers from the bed over her legs. 'Wait, does this mean Ross pulled these over me last night?' Emma began to wonder, face turning pink at the thought of Ross picking her up and managing to lay her under the bed covers. She felt nervous when she thought of him touching her, but it wasn't the same way she had felt the night before; when Andrew had his hands on her waist. Emma felt her body grow tense as she thought of the night before. She didn't want to think about it.

"Shoot." Ross commented. "I completely forgot. R5 has rehearsal this morning. Riker just texted me." He read another new text message, another one from Riker. He was quiet for a second, then read it aloud. "'I'll pick you up in fifteen. Pretty sure I know where you are'..." He rubbed his face with one hand nervously. "Oh my gosh, he's going to kill me." Emma immediately felt awful. "Ross, this is all my fault. Look, I can apologize to Riker or-" "No, don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault. I'll just explain what happened to Riker." Ross told Emma, looking up at her. "Hopefully he'll understand." He tried to smile, and Emma did the same.

Ross stood up. "How are your wrists?" he asked, sitting beside her and taking her arms. He was gentle when he touched her. Emma preferred it far more than Andrew, the boy who had grabbed her wrists. 'Stop thinking about him.' Emma had to think to herself again, frowning. "Wow, they're healing up pretty quick. That's good." He told her, examining the small cuts remaining on her arms. Emma smiled, then remembered Ross's cut above his eye from the night before. She looked up at his face, then nudged his bangs away from where he had been hit by Andrew. The cut was already healing significantly, and Emma couldn't help but sigh in relief. "Your cut looks like it's healing fast. Thank goodness." She told him, a small smile on her face. Ross smiled back. Their eyes met for a split second before Emma realized her hand was still touching Ross's face, and she immediately took her hand back. "Umm..." Emma started. She had to tell Ross something. "I should tell you why I wanted to go to that party last night." As much as Emma wished she could just never think about Jackson again, she knew this wasn't a situation she could get rid of. She continued, looking down at the floor and felling Ross's eyes on her. "Jackson texted me last night. He told me..." she breathed in slowly. "He told me that he was sorry, and asked me if I would go out with him again." She felt a big mix of sadness, anger, and confusion as for what she should do. She looked at Ross, who was now looking at the floor. "What... did you say to him?" Emma couldn't read Ross. He looked as if he thought that Emma had said yes to him. But she hadn't... yet. "I haven't texted him back yet. I guess I'm... not so sure what I want my answer to be..." She almost couldn't believe herself. Emma, while feeling absolutely devastated after breaking up with Jackson, was still possibly considering taking him back. "I know that getting back together with Jackson sounds like a really bad idea and everything. But... everyone deserves a second chance, right?" Now Ross looked Emma in the eyes. "Emma, if we're being honest right now, I didn't read you all of your friend's text message the other day." Emma was confused. "What... are you talking about?" "She went on to say that Jackson had hit on her when you weren't around. Don't worry though, she still thinks he's just as much of a jerk as I think he is." Emma felt her stomach drop; Jackson had hit on her best friend? It could have been any other girl, but he had to pick Jen? Emma considered then that Jen was probably not the only girl Jackson had hit on while they had been dating, which made her feel worse yet. "Look Emma, I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I just wanted to tell you now..." Emma felt Ross's fingers softly touch her hand. "because I think you deserve so much better than everything that he put you through."

Emma wasn't sure what to say. 'Is he right?' Emma thought. 'Do I really deserve better than Jackson?' Emma remained quiet for a minute, looking down at Ross's fingers, still touching her own. "Your hands are cold, by the way." Ross joked, and Emma started to laugh. She smiled at Ross. She liked the way he could still make light of situations like this. Emma considered for a moment telling Ross about how she had overheard him call her "okay"-looking a couple of days before, but decided there had probably already been enough honesty between them for one morning. "Don't you have an R5 rehearsal to get to or something?" Emma joked back. Ross smiled in return. "Oh, I guess so." He stood up and headed for the door, but not before turning around and saying, "Promise me you'll think about what I said though, okay?" Emma tried to smile and nodded. Jackson had never made her feel like she actually mattered before. At least not like how Ross had made her feel when he said that she deserved better. Once Ross left, Emma made up her mind. She pulled out her phone and began typing up a text saying, Thanks, but she was no longer interested.


	26. Chapter 26

Ross exited the hotel through the front entrance, hoping that no one had payed much attention to him. Within minutes, Riker pulled up to the entrance in his car. Ross took a deep breath. 'Just explain to Riker what happened last night. I just hope he hasn't told Mom and Dad yet...' Ross opened the car door. Riker wore sunglasses so Ross was unable to see his eyes, but he could tell Riker was pissed. "Get in." He said sharply. Ross obeyed and slid into the passenger seat. Riker looked at him. "What happened to your face? You're not going to get passed Mom and Dad looking like that." Ross hoped that this meant he hadn't told their parents yet where he'd been the night before. "I know. I'm going to tell them what happened. I just want to wait until after Emma leaves so she won't get in trouble. Look, Riker-" "Save it." Riker cut off his brother. "We'll talk at rehearsal."

Riker drove to the venue that the party to celebrate them signing with Hollywood Records would be at. It appeared that the rest of the band was already there. Ross became nervous, knowing in the next few minutes he'd see his siblings and their friend Ratliff, the drummer of R5. "Do you know if Dad's here today?" Ross asked his brother. He was more nervous than anything about telling his parents what had happened the night before. Riker sighed, then put his sunglasses on top of his head. He appeared to have calmed down a bit now. "He told me he wouldn't be able to come this morning, so you're lucky. Come on, we're already late." Ross looked in the mirror in the car, fixing his hair to somewhat cover up the cut from the night before. He attempted to get a few wrinkles out of his shirt before grabbing his guitar from the backseat and following Riker inside.

As expected, Rydel, Rocky and Ratliff already had all their equipment set up. The three had been sitting around on the stage, awaiting the arrival of the rest of their five. Rydel noticed Riker and Ross approach the stage first. "About time!" She told the two, jumping up from her seat. "Band meeting. Now." Riker told the four, looking serious once again. Ross looked at his brother as the other three came over. "So where were you last night?" Rocky asked Ross. Then joked, "And why wasn't I invited?" Ross was about to tell his siblings and Ratliff the whole story before Riker spoke up. "Ross slept in Emma's hotel room last night." "WHAT?!" Rydel, Rocky, and Ratliff all replied simultaneously. Rocky, being the least serious of the few, held up a hand to high-five Ross. "Alright Ross, get some." He told his younger brother, but Ross didn't return the high-five. "No, you guys don't understand. Just let me explain." "Wait a second." Rydel started. "Are you talking about the same girl I went shopping with yesterday, that Emma? Ross, what were you thinking?" She asked, not looking like her usual optimistic self any longer. "You guys aren't even giving me a chance to explain." Ross told the band, beginning to become frustrated. When Riker and Rydel were quiet, Ross took a deep breath, hoping he could choose the right words.

"Look," he started. "Emma texted me last night wondering if I want to go do something, so we went to my friend Andrew's place for this party." He wasn't so sure if he could use the word "friend" any longer when referring to Andrew, since he'd punched the guy in the jaw the night before. Plus, though Andrew wasn't sober, he had hit on Emma then hurt her. "Were you drinking?" Riker asked his brother. While Riker had recently turned 21, he still didn't drink alcohol. It was always something Ross had admired about his brother. "I didn't drink anything. You know I wouldn't." Ross looked at his brother. Riker became a bit less tense, then nodded. "Anyway, I found out this morning that the reason she wanted to go somewhere was that her ex asked her out again, and she kind of freaked out and wasn't sure what to do. So I was just helping her out. And afterwards I drove her back to her hotel. But nothing happened. I mean, I slept in a chair next to her bed, and that was it." He waited to hear what the three had to say. "So," Ratliff spoke up first. "I feel like I need to meet this girl one of these days." Ross completely forgot that Ratliff hadn't met Emma yet, since she'd only met his family the other night. "At the party tomorrow night, I promise I'll introduce you to her." He told his friend, before turning back to Riker, Rocky and Rydel.

Ross was completely shocked when he looked at Riker and Rydel; both were starting to smile at him. "You sound like... you care about her a lot." Riker told his brother. Ross looked at him, then nervously looked away. "I... I'm just trying to be a friend." "Oh, whatever, Ross." Rydel told him jokingly. "We all know how you act when you're into a girl, and you're doing it right now." She smiled at her brother. Ross laughed nervously, and felt his face become warmer. "I don't know what you're talking about. Look, we're just friends. Now are we going to start rehearsing anytime soon?" "Wait a sec," Rocky said. "So does this mean I can ask Samantha out now since Ross will no longer be on the market to her?" "You're going to ask Samantha out?" Riker asked, looking confused. "Why would I no longer be on the market?" Ross asked, even more confused. "Because you're going to ask Emma out." Rocky told his brother, as if it was one of those obvious questions that everyone knew the answer to. "What? I'm not going to ask her out." Ross told Rocky, who smiled and shrugged his shoulders in response. "Okay. Look, Ross." Riker started, putting a hand on his younger brother's shoulder. "I promise I won't tell mom and dad where you were last night as long as you tell them everything immediately after Emma goes back home. And just promise us that you're not going to stay out all night and go to crazy parties anymore." Ross nodded. "Okay, I promise." Riker smiled before turning towards the rest of the band and suggesting they start rehearsal.

As the other four headed towards the stage, Ross sighed. He hadn't realized until Riker mentioned Emma going back home that she only would be there a couple more days. He didn't want to think about her leaving. Ross had gotten to know her so much better since the night she arrived, when Jackson broke up with her and he came over. 'I guess... I just wish I had more time to learn even more about her.' Ross thought. He quickly pulled his phone out and asked Emma if she wanted to hang out later, then attempted to put his thoughts aside for a while and focus on rehearsal.


	27. Chapter 27

Emma was lying on her bed in the hotel room, still exhausted from the activities of the night before, when her cell phone vibrated. "New message from Ross." She read the screen aloud, then opened the message. "Wanna hang later? I thought maybe we could go out somewhere." Emma felt her face get warm. She couldn't help but smile. Ross had definitely just asked her out on a date, even if he hadn't worded it that way. 'That's fine with me, though.' Emma thought. 'If he would have asked me out on a legitimate date, that might have been weird. I mean...' Her thoughts started to wander. She would be leaving the day after next. Her smile started to fade as she thought about having to leave. 'I don't know... how I'm going to say goodbye to everyone. Especially Ross.' She looked back down at her phone, the message still on her screen. 'I guess... I should just try to spend as much time as possible with him. And try to enjoy every moment.'

Emma finally hit the reply button, and typed out, "Sure, text me when rehearsal's over." She sent the message and lied back down, still feeling exhausted. She felt like her "Tank was on Empty," like her mom often said. Emma hadn't thought much about her parents over the past few days, with everything that had been going on. She hadn't even called them yet. 'I should call them.' Emma thought. 'But first, I should eat something. That's probably why I'm so exhausted, actually...' Emma knew that the fact that she couldn't really remember the last time she had eaten some nutritional food was probably a bad thing. 'I guess I did have that elephant ear the other day when I was at the amusement park with everyone.' Emma recalled, knowing that had been a couple of days ago.

Emma had fun at the amusement park the other day, despite overhearing Ross talking to the guys. No, she hadn't forgotten what he said. She did tend to worry about what others thought about her, though she knew it was wrong. It just sucked to hear people say hurtful things about the way she looked, and it seemed to hurt even more when Ross was the one saying it. Emma finally just shook her head. "Whatever." she finally told herself about the situation. She didn't want to think about it. She wanted to eat.

Emma finally had the perfect idea. She searched through her contacts on her phone, and smiled when she spotted Laura's number, which she'd gotten the other day at the park. She quickly sent her a text, wondering if she wanted to go out to lunch since she couldn't come other day. Moments later, her phone vibrated. "Of course, I'd love to have lunch with you! I can invite Raini and Samantha too, and we can have a Girl's day!" Emma laughed at Laura's pure enthusiasm, then agreed to the idea. At first she wasn't so sure about Samantha being invited, but she knew there was nothing wrong with the girl. And it had been nice of her to let Emma borrow one of her shirts the other day. Another minute later, Laura texted back and told her she could pick her up shortly. She also promised that she knew a great place that they could all go to for lunch, which made Emma smile. She was beginning to feel really hungry.

Emma opened the door of her mini-fridge in her room, not sure she could wait for Laura to get there. She pulled out a tub of Ben&Jerry's ice cream, the ice cream that Ross had bought for her the other night before he left. She sighed, opening the container. 'Maybe I should just get over what he said about me. Obviously he's a good guy.' Emma dug a spoon into the container, and immediately scarfed down about half the container. It didn't take long for her stomach to start reacting to the amount of food she had just consumed. She started to feel funny. "Shoot." she said aloud before running to her bathroom and throwing up what she had just consumed.

Moments later, her stomach still feeling strange but better, Emma came back into her bedroom. She picked up her phone and realized that Laura had sent her a new message. "Be there in ten!" Emma read. She hadn't even realized that she hadn't gotten ready yet until then, and ran for her suit case. After quickly changing into leggings and a crew neck sweatshirt and throwing her hair into a ponytail, she grabbed her purse and ran for the door.

Laura was waiting in her car outside, and Emma wondered if she was one of those people that was never late to anything. "Sorry, girls." Emma said as she got into the backseat of the car, seeing Raini in the passenger seat and Samantha in the seat next to hers. "It was a bit of a crazy morning." "No problem!" Laura told her, a big smile on the girl's face. "We're just so glad you could come with! You guys are going to love this place we're going to, by the way. Ooh, I love this song!" Emma laughed as she slid into the seat next to Samantha, who didn't really look at Emma as she got in. Emma frowned, but didn't make a big deal about it, and just looked forward. Laura turned up her radio before pulling out of the parking lot, Want U Back by Cher Llyod playing. Raini started singing along, Laura joining in, and the two belted out the entire song as Laura drove. Emma thought it was incredibly entertaining, and couldn't believe how good the two sounded.

Moments later, the four were driving past shops perched incredibly close to the beach, and Emma saw the ocean for the first time on that trip. She thought it was breathtaking. The fact that it was a gorgeous day only made it look even prettier. "Wow." Emma said aloud, getting Raini and Laura to laugh. "It is really pretty around here. This is my favorite area to go shopping in." Raini told the girls. "Ooh, that boutique has the cutest clothes. We should go there after lunch." She told Laura, who agreed enthusiastically. Laura found a parking spot along the shoulder of the road and pulled in. Emma got out of the car to see a very cute cafe, the outside of the restaurant painted pink and green. "This place has great food. Smoothies, salads. It's basically a girl's only joint." Laura laughed at her own joke, which made Emma smile. Emma noticed that Laura looked completely adorable in her colorful sundress and jean jacket. Raini also looked very fashionable in her dark wash jeans and button up top. Samantha seemed to pull off anything she wore, today wearing a bright tee and jean shorts. Emma finally decided to try and be friendly as the girls walked towards the restaurant. "You look cute today, Samantha." she told the girl, trying to smile. Samantha looked at her for a second, then half smiled back. "Thank you." 'See? Not all that bad.' Emma thought to herself.

The girls had a very tasty lunch. Emma decided to just get a salad, hoping that she'd be able to keep it down if she ate slower. She knew that she hadn't eaten any vegetables since she'd come to Cali, which was unusual for her. 'I guess my eating habits have just been a little off this week, what with everything going on.' Emma thought, picking through her salad. "You okay, Emma?" Laura asked the girl, taking a sip of her smoothie. "Oh, yeah, I'm great." Emma told her. "Just a pretty crazy week, you know?" "Oh, tell me about it." Laura agreed. "Keeping up with school and the show has really kept me on my toes. What's been crazy for you this week?" she asked. Emma was at first unsure if she should tell the girls about everything, but she thought she could trust them. "Just guy-stuff. I kinda got dumped via text message the other day, so that was rough. He actually texted me last night saying he was sorry and he wanted me back. But no worries, I turned him down." She smiled when she was finished, but all three of the girls, including Samantha, looked shocked. "He dumped you over a text message? What a jerk." Raini said. "I'm so sorry, Emma." Laura told the girl. "I didn't even notice. You seemed perfectly fine every time I saw you this week. You're so strong." Emma smiled. She realized then that she was finally getting that "girl-talk" that she'd wanted to have with her friends all week. She was already beginning to feel much better. "Thank you." Emma said. "I've just been trying my best to keep my mind off all of it. I've been spending time with Ross, so-" she immediately wished she hadn't said that last part. Raini and Laura's eyes grew wide. "You WHAT?!" They said, almost simultaneously. "Oh my gosh, do you like him?" Raini asked her. "I knew you two were going to go out." Laura declared, grinning. Emma laughed nervously. "Oh, I don't think we're going to date. It'd just be too complicated, you know? But, um... he kind of asked if I want to go somewhere later, so that kind of sounded like he was asking me out. But, I mean, it's just one date." "You're going on a date together?" Laura asked. She turned to Raini, and the two got really excited. "He asked you on a date? That's so, so cute." Raini said. "You should let us do your hair and make-up before you go! It'd be so fun." Emma laughed and thanked her. "I actually think I'm going to try to just look normal. I, um... don't really want to give him the wrong idea. Like I said, I don't think we're going to start dating." Laura nodded. "I can see how that might get complicated. Gosh, I just wish it could work out. You two would be adorable together." 'Adorable, huh?' Emma thought. She had hardly thought about her and Ross as a couple yet. She was kind of afraid to, actually. She already had her mind made up, though. She wasn't going to date Ross.

She glanced down at her cell phone. "Ooh, gosh, I didn't even realize the time. I probably better get back to my hotel pretty soon. Would you still be okay with driving me back?" she asked Laura. "Sure! How about we head over to Raini's favorite store, and then we can drive you back!" She suggested enthusiastically. The girls agreed and left the cafe and made their way down the street. "Hey, Emma?" Emma turned to see Samantha talking to her. "Look, I just wanted to say sorry for the way I've been acting this week. If I had known you and your boyfriend had just broken up-" "It's fine." Emma told her. Then smiled. "Thanks for apologizing." Surprisingly enough, Samantha returned the smile. "So, I don't have a dress yet for tomorrow night's party. Do you think you could help me pick out something to wear?" Emma smiled back. "Sure, I'd love to."


	28. Chapter 28

"What do you guys think of this one?" Samantha asked the girls, walking out of the dressing room in a dress. The dress was about finger-tip length and was fairly tight, but Emma thought Samantha had the trim figure to pull it off. It was black with gold sequins that crowded the bottom of the dress, then faded towards the top of the dress. Emma thought it looked tasteful, and at the same time "ready to party." "That looks so cute!" Laura commented, sitting beside Raini on one of the chairs outside of the dressing room. "That's a pretty one." Raini told Samantha. Samantha tried to smile at the two girls, and Emma thought that Samantha was finally beginning to try to befriend her and the girls. Samantha turned to Emma. "What do you think?" She asked. Emma smiled. "I think it's really cute," she told Samantha, then added, "and I think Rocky will like it a lot." Samantha actually smiled and laughed for the first time Emma had seen since she'd met the girl. "Really? I really want to wear something he'll think is cute to the party." Samantha admitted. "Then you should definitely get this one, cause he'll love it." Emma told her. Samantha gave a wholehearted smile and said, "Okay, I think I will." before returning to the dressing room. "Would you look at that." Laura commented when Samantha left the room. "Samantha actually looks like she likes us now. I'm so glad, I thought we'd never break through to her." Raini nodded. "She seems a lot nicer today." Raini then made a face and said, "She didn't act anything like this at the amusement park the other day." Emma laughed at the face Raini made. "I think she's definitely starting to actually like us."

The three waited as Samantha purchased her dress. Emma couldn't help but overhear the cashier tell Samantha that the cost of her dress would be just over $50, and Samantha didn't seem to budge as she handed over the cash. Emma began to envy being able to buy things without worry, but then reminded herself to be grateful. "Phew, I was starting to think I wouldn't find a dress before the party. I guess I was cutting it a little close to the party to find something." Samantha told the girls as they all left the shop and headed towards Laura's car. "I got mine yesterday, so I think you're okay." Emma told the girl, recalling her shopping trip with Rydel. "I'm wearing a dress I already had, I wore it to a wedding a while ago and thought I'd be alright wearing it." Raini told everyone. "I thought I'd take the easy way out and just borrow one of my sister's dresses." Laura admitted, laughing at herself. "That's smart of you guys to just wear something you already had, you save a lot of money doing that." Emma told the two, knowing that she herself often would wear one dress to several occasions to save a few bucks. Emma was actually pretty glad to hear that even celebrities sometimes wear their clothes to several events or borrow from someone else.

Emma felt her phone vibrate as the girls reached Laura's car. "Hey, Riker and I are heading home. Want me to drive us for once?" Emma smiled as she replied, "Haa, as fun as that sounds, it's still illegal. I can drive us, I don't mind. But I'm not back yet, so how about I come get you in like, half an hour?" "Aww, and who is Emma texting?" Laura asked in her most enthusiastic tone. Emma laughed. "Just Ross, he just finished rehearsing with R5." Laura nodded. "So are you excited for your date tonight?" Raini turned around in her seat and asked Emma. "I'm not so sure if it's a legitimate date, but yeah, I think it'll be fun. To be honest, I'm a little nervous." Emma admitted. "Aw, don't be nervous!" Laura told her. "Ross likes a girl that can just be herself, so if you just be yourself, you'll have a lot of fun!" Emma smiled at Laura's comment, and was actually really glad that Laura had said that. It made her feel more relaxed. Emma's phone vibrated and she read the response, "Oh okay, sounds good to me. (:" Emma smiled, seeing the sideways smiley-face on her phone screen. "I'm just glad that I'm going to be hanging out with a guy that actually cares about me." Emma hated to think about it, but Jackson had probably been sneaking around with other girls the whole time he and Emma had been dating. Emma knew Ross would never do something like that to her, but it didn't matter; they were not going to start dating. Emma's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a phone vibrating, but it wasn't hers; it was Samantha's. She opened her phone and read a text message, then smiled a smile at least twice as big as she had earlier. "Rocky just asked me if I wanted to gout tonight." She told the girls. While Samantha tried to contain her emotions, it was obvious that she was really excited. The girls all "aww"-ed together and congratulated her. "Thanks, girls." she told the group, then turned to Emma. "I wasn't so sure if he felt the same way about me as I did about him, but now I'm starting to think he might like me." Samantha still smiled as she confessed. Emma smiled back. "Of course, he likes you, too. I hope you guys have a lot of fun tonight." Emma told her. Samantha's smile became warm. Emma knew she and Samantha were finally starting to become friend. "Thank you. I hope you have fun tonight, too."

After a few quick minutes, Laura's car pulled into the parking lot of Emma's hotel. "Thanks so much for having lunch with me today, girls." Emma told everyone. "I had a lot of fun, I hope we get to do something like again one of these days." Emma knew she'd the be leaving the day after next, and after than, who knew when the next time would be that she'd get to see these girls. She hoped it would be soon. "We're so glad we could do this today!" Laura told her enthusiastically, Raini nodding. "One of these days for sure, we'll hang out again." Raini told Emma. Emma saw Samantha smiling still in the backseat. She waved goodbye to the three girls, then headed to her hotel room to get ready to hang out with Ross.


	29. Chapter 29

Emma dug through several tops and pants, wondering what she should wear to hang out with Ross. 'I guess I want to look kinda cute, but not like I'm trying really hard, either. I mean, Ross might not be even thinking of this as a date and be expecting me to dress like I normally do.' Emma finally decided that "how she normally dressed" would be good, and picked out a jean button-up top that she'd had yet to wear that week. She decided to pair a white cotton scarf with the top, and left the leggings she had already been wearing on. After ditching her flip-flops for her metallic sandals, Emma hurried into the bathroom and attempted to fix up her hair a bit. She decided to turn her pony-tail into a messy bun and throw on some cover-up make-up. Emma smiled at her reflection in the mirror. 'Hey, not half-bad.' she thought, feeling her confidence grow just a little bit. 'At least, I think so.' She felt her smile fade a bit, recalling Ross telling his friends that Emma was "okay"-looking. "Come on, Emma." she thought to herself, trying to push the memory from her mind. Emma finally grabbed her car keys, phone and purse, and headed for the door.

Emma was a few minutes late getting to Ross's house, and hoped that he himself might have been running late. As she pulled into the Lynch's driveway, she noticed that there was only one other car already parked there, instead of several. Ross exited his house a moment after Emma pulled in, and Emma once again couldn't help but notice how good Ross looked. He wore a red flannel button-up shirt, the top few buttons undone revealing a white V-neck, along with the typical jeans. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to near his elbows, revealing his tan, strong arms. "Hey." Ross said as he slid into the passenger seat. "You look cute. How's it going?" Did Emma just hear him correctly? Did Ross just say she looked cute? Mentally, Emma was flipping out, but she kept pretty calm on the outside. "Thank you." She smiled. "I'm okay. I was hanging out with Laura, Raini and Samantha earlier." "Really? That's cool." Ross told her as she pulled out of the driveway. "Yeah, it was fun. So where's the rest of your family?" She commented, nodding towards the one car parked in the driveway. "Everybody's out. Except my parents, they'll probably be home all night." He told her. "Everybody's out? Wow, you have popular siblings." Emma said, and Ross nodded. "Yeah actually, they're pretty good at making friends."

Ross told Emma about their rehearsal in between giving her directions. Emma began to think some of the buildings looked familiar, and realized they were going to the same boardwalk she had gone to earlier. Though there weren't any parking spots too close to the shops, Emma knew she didn't mind; she loved walking, especially in weather like that. "So, where are we heading?" Emma asked. "There's this really great restaurant that my family and I love, it's kind of a burger joint with a fancy twist to it." he told her, laughing at his explanation of the place. Emma smiled. On the couple of occasions that she and Jackson had gone out together, Jackson had told Emma that they could do "whatever she wanted to do." She had always been kind of disappointed hearing those words from him, wishing that he would make an effort into deciding what they could do together. On each occasion, Emma suggested they hang out at Starbucks. 'Funny,' she thought. 'I probably should have guessed the relationship wouldn't last when he barely spoke to me while we were at Starbucks.'

Emma continued to think about her failed attempt at a relationship with Jackson until she felt Ross's hand brush against her arm. "You okay?" Emma heard him ask. She nodded. "Yeah. Sorry." She told him, trying to smile and just forget about the whole thing. She was going to have a way better time with Ross than she had ever had with Jackson, and she know she should just forget the past. "Did I tell you I texted Jackson back this morning? I told him that it's over." She said. "Really? That's awesome." He smiled at her. "I knew you could do. You're definitely too good for that guy." Emma smiled, then looked away as she felt her face grow warm. "Hmm, thanks." she said.

It didn't take long for the two to reach the restaurant Ross had been talking about. Emma followed Ross inside, and immediately thought the place was classier than most burger joints. The lights were dim, and there was nearly an entire wall of windows looking out onto the boardwalk and beach. Emma started to think the place actually seemed kind of romantic. 'Wow, I've never been on any sort of romantic date before.' Emma thought, started to feel a little nervous. Ross said Hello to a teen who was seating customers, whom he looked like he knew fairly well. "Ross! It's been a while, man." The boy told him, fist-bumping Ross. "Hey. Yeah, things have been pretty crazy with rehearsal and filming lately." he told the guy. "Hey, I want you to meet someone." He nodded towards Emma, who straightened herself up and tried to look nice. "This is Emma. She won that contest to guest-star in the show." He told his friend, who now looked at Emma. He smiled ad shook her hand. "Pleasure to meet you! I'm DJ, by the way." Emma smiled back, saying, "Nice to meet you." DJ, you could guess, was pretty attractive. He had dark brown hair and brown eyes, and a perfect smile. "I've known this guy ever since he started working here. What was that, like four years ago?" DJ shrugged. "I'm not keeping track, I just wanna make some cash." he said honestly. "Hey, how 'bout I show you guys to a table?"

DJ took the two to the second floor of the restaurant, which was pretty full with most of the tables already taken. The floor had an amazing view of the beach. Emma was pretty excited to see that their table was directly next to the window. "Thanks, man." Ross told his friend, who headed back to work with less enthusiasm than he'd had while talking to Ross. "Wow, I could get used to this view." Emma said, unable to take her eyes off of the beach. Ross laughed. "It's pretty great, right? When my family and I come here, we always get a spot next to the window. That might be because my family knows nearly the entire restaurant staff though." Ross said with a smile. "I've been coming here since I was a little kid." Emma smiled. She liked learning more about Ross. "It's a really neat place. So, you could probably recommend something really tasty that I should get, right?" Emma asked, glancing over the menu. "Well everything's good, but I can definitely recommend what's the absolute best. How about I order for us? Promise you won't be disappointed." Emma agreed, and when the waitress came by (Who Ross also knew), Ross ordered several different really tasty-sounding foods, and well as a couple of chocolate milkshakes. Emma couldn't help but laugh. "Are we going to be able to eat all of that?" she asked him. "No worries, the leftovers are perfect as a midnight snack if you ask me." Ross laughed.

Emma's favorite part of their dinner actually wasn't the meal, despite it being incredible. It was getting to talk to Ross. Emma learned a lot about Ross over dinner, like that he loved playing hockey with his family, and that he'd been dancing and singing since he was young. Emma got to hear a few stories of Ross's childhood that made her laugh plenty, and even shared some stories of her own. She told him that she'd been playing tennis since she was a little kid, she had never learned how to play an instrument before, and that she was in her high school's choir. Ross actually listened and nodded and laughed and smiled while Emma told him more about herself, and Emma loved every second of learning more about Ross.

The sun was beginning to set by the time the two were finished sipping their milkshakes, and Ross received the check for the waiter. As Emma pulled her wallet out of her purse, Ross stopped her. "I've got this one." "What?" Emma said. "Come on, that was a ton of food. I can't let you pay for all of that." Emma offered to at least take care of the tip, but Ross told her he didn't want her two. Ross took care of the whole bill. Emma was officially considering this a date.

"Wanna go watch the sun set?" Ross asked Emma as the two departed from the restaurant. "I think you read my mind. Of course." Emma told him with a smile. As the two headed for a good spot on the side of the boardwalk, a few girls in R5 wristbands approached Ross. He asked Emma if she minded, and she shook her head. The girls squealed as they each got a hug and an autograph from Ross, who smiled through the whole thing. One of the girls looked over at Emma, who pretended not to be watching. Emma noticed the girl say something to Ross, and he shook his head while still smiling. The girls got a couple of photos with Ross before saying theirs goodbyes, and Ross joined Emma again. "What did that girl ask you?" Emma asked, just out of curiosity. "If you were my girlfriend." He told Emma. "Oh." she said plainly. She couldn't think of anything else to say, but she didn't think there was anything she needed to say. She wasn't Ross's girlfriend, and that wouldn't be changing anytime soon. 'I'm leaving in just a couple of days,' Emma reminded herself, though she didn't want to remember it. 'I know it isn't the time to start a relationship with someone. Plus, who knows for sure if Ross is even in to me.' Emma stayed quiet for a little bit. The two walked over to the edge of the boardwalk and leaned against the railing while watching the sunset.


	30. Chapter 30

The last fraction of the sun disappeared over the water as Ross spoke up. "Really something, huh?" Emma smiled and chuckled. "Something? It's amazing. I wish I could stay here forever." Emma said that last part with out thinking about it too much, but then realized it was true. She did wish she could stay longer. But she'd be leaving the day after the next. Ross looked at Emma. "You should come visit sometime. We could hang out again, and maybe you could spend more time with my family." Emma smiled and looked at Ross. "I don't know, you family might not be so fond of me. Does everybody know about last night?" Ross looked back at the view. "My parents don't know yet. I thought I could tell them once you left. And I know Rydel likes you, and you can probably already tell Ryland likes you. Rocky hardly knows you but I'm sure he'll think you're great, and Riker just needs to get to know you better." He looked at Emma once again. "Trust me, they're all blaming me on last night anyway." Emma frowned. "I'm sorry." But Ross just shook his head. "No worries. I'm glad I stuck around last night. I felt like you needed a friend." Ross told her, referring to him staying the night in her hotel room. Emma looked up at Ross. "Thanks again." She tried to smile, still feeling rather guilty. Ross smiled back. "So, you want to come hang out at my house for a little bit? We could watch a movie or something." "Eh, I've got nothing better to do." Emma joked. "Kidding. Yeah, that sounds fun."

It was about 8:00 once Emma drove into the Lynch family's driveway. Ross's parent's car was still parked in front of the home. Emma hadn't really felt embarrassed about wearing leggings instead of actual pants until now, and hoped that Ross's parents wouldn't think she looked trashy. She followed behind Ross as they went inside his house, tugging her shirt down and wishing she had dressed more conservatively as she walked. Ross looked behind at her for a second and laughed. "What are you doing?" He asked her as they went inside his house. "Am I dressed okay? I feel like your parents are going to think I'm badly dressed." "Badly dressed?" He asked. "Whatever, they'll think you're adorable. Don't worry." Emma felt a little more confident. 'Adorable, huh?' she thought to herself with a small smile. "So what are you doing tomorrow?" Ross asked while checking in the living room for his parents. "Going to your party." she said with a smile, and Ross laughed. "No, before that." "Hmm. I have to buy a clutch. And I'm going to borrow some shoes from Rydel. Then I have to get ready for the party. That'll probably take up most of the day." She told him with a smile. She didn't usually spend much time getting ready, but she felt like the party seemed like a big deal and she ought to put in a little extra effort. Plus, maybe she wanted to look kind of cute for Ross. "That's going to take most of the day?" Ross laughed. "Glad I'm a guy." Emma smiled at him. "Lucky you." she joked.

Ross found his parents in their kitchen, sipping coffee and talking. "I thought I heard the door." Stormie, Ross's mom, said. "Home so soon?" Ross walked into the kitchen. "Yeah. But I brought someone with me." He added as Emma walked into the kitchen. "Oh hello, darling!" Stormie said, looking rather thrilled that Ross had brought a girl home with him. Emma wondered if she was the first girl Ross had brought to his house since Ross and Brittany had been dating. "Emma, isn't it? It's so nice to see you again." Emma felt a little more relaxed hearing the warm greeting. "That's right, and it's nice to see you." she said, trying to sound pleasant. "We were thinking of watching a movie. Is it okay if we hang out in the living room?" Ross asked his parents. "A movie, huh?" Mark, Ross's dad, asked. "Well, sweetheart, sounds like we should give these kids some space." Mark told Stormie, who smiled and nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. How about we get dessert at that new place on the boardwalk?" Stormie and Mark decided on dessert and prepared to leave. "Well, you kids enjoy your movie. I think Rydel and Riker will still be out with their friends for a while, and Ryland's sleeping over at his friend's house. Oh, Ross, did we tell you? Rocky went out with that other girl! Samantha, isn't it, darling?" Stormie asked Mark, who nodded. "Think so. I just hope they stay out of trouble." Mark commented, not too sure what Rocky's plans had been with Samantha. Emma smiled, and thought that Samantha seemed like the kind of girl that could keep a guy in line. "Well we better get going." Mark told his son and Emma. "Oh, and Ross. No staying out late tonight, alright? You've already slept over at your friends' houses twice this week without telling us, and if it happens again we won't be too happy." Ross nodded to his dad. "Don't worry, I'll be here for the rest of the night." Mark nodded, and smiled again. "That's more like it. Have fun, kids." Mark told the two as he and Stormie headed for the door. "Oh, but not too much fun." Mark said to Ross with a wink. Emma couldn't help but laugh, and Ross just rolled his eyes at his dad. "See ya." Ross told his parents as he closed the door behind them, then turned to Emma, who was still giggling. "I like your parents." Emma told Ross as the two headed back towards the kitchen. "They can be embarrassing, but they're pretty cool most of the time. As you can tell, they think we're dating, or want us to. What movie do you want to watch?" Ross asked, changing the topic pretty quickly. He walked around the island in the kitchen and plugged in the Keurig coffee machine. "Hmm, something funny." Emma said. "Something funny, huh? Do you want hot chocolate or mocha?" "Mocha. I could use the caffeine." Emma said, leaning over the opposite side of the island like she had a few days before. "I vote School of Rock. That's one of the funniest movies I've ever seen." Ross told, Emma, who laughed. "I'll second that vote. I love that movie." "Sweet." Ross said. "I can set up the TV. Do you want to make popcorn? I think you can figure it out." He said, grabbing a bag of microwave popcorn from the cupboard and handing it to Emma. "I think I can figure it out, too." Emma said, smiling. Ross laughed. "Okay. I'll be back in a few."

As Emma waited for the coffee and popcorn to be ready, she began to hum to herself. She'd always loved to sing, especially when there was a catchy song stuck in her head. Emma hadn't even realized that the catchy song stuck in her head was called "All About The Girl," by none other than R5. She continued to hum for a couple of minutes, then started to wonder what was taking Ross so long. She figured it out, however, when he came walking into the kitchen with an acoustic guitar. Emma laughed. "Was I humming that loudly?" She asked, and Ross laughed. "I might have heard you."

Emma had to remind herself to keep breathing when Ross starting playing the guitar and singing right in front of her. "Whoever she is, she is out of this world. It's all about the girl that I'll meet on the bus or on the street. It's all about the girl in my mind that I'll meet one day, it's a matter of time." His voice was flawless. Emma felt her face get warm when he looked up from his guitar and at her. She smiled, but felt nervous enough to look down at her feet. Ross walked until he was standing directly next to Emma, who couldn't help but laugh. She finally looked back up at him as he finished the song. "Not bad." Emma told Ross. "What? Just not bad?" Ross asked, smiling. Emma laughed. "Oh, I guess it was pretty good." Her eyes met Ross's for a few seconds. "Thanks." Ross told her. He was quiet for a couple of seconds. "Hey, I have to tell you something." Ross told Emma. "Really? What's up?" Emma asked, a little surprised. "Okay, so..." Ross started, glancing down at his feet. Emma wondered what he could have to say that would make him look down at his feet. Ross was typically pretty confidant. "I've... had a lot of fun hanging out with you over the past few days. And... I think you've helped me get over Brittany a lot. And I'm so glad, cause I wasn't sure if I could ever get over her. But then you got here, and I finally had someone to talk to about her. And then I really started to get to know you. Anyway... I guess I just wanted to say thanks." Ross smiled sweetly at Emma. He was standing just a few inches in front of her. "And I'm really glad I got to get to know you this week." Emma could feel her heart beating faster. 'Shoot.' she thought. Ross gently put a hand on Emma's cheek. He leaned over until his face was very close to hers. Emma started to shut her eyes, unsure what she ought to do. 'He's trying to kiss me.'


	31. Chapter 31

Emma felt the warmth from Ross's breath. She knew his face was just inches away from hers. Her thoughts were racing, and she had almost forgotten to breath. Emma realized then that she couldn't do it. She moved her face backwards, allowing Ross's hand to slip from her cheek. Emma immediately felt horrible. Her eyes remained shut, and she knew she didn't want to see the look on Ross's face when she opened them. But she couldn't stay like that forever.

Emma opened her eyes slowly, avoiding Ross's eyes at first. She tried to think of what she could say, knowing that Ross had to feel confused and hurt at the moment. "I'm sorry." Emma started, daring to look Ross in the eyes. She wished she hadn't. He looked surprised at first, then hurt. "What's wrong?" He asked Emma, moving his arm back to his side. "I... um..." Emma wasn't sure what to say. She knew why she couldn't kiss him, and she wondered if deep down he knew that she wasn't going to kiss him either. Emma then realized there was one thing that she needed to tell Ross. She knew she couldn't leave Ross with out telling him how she felt. Before she could think twice, she admitted it.

"I like you. A lot." She did it. She had told Ross how she felt about him. Emma tried to smile at him, and Ross smiled back. "I like you, too." he confessed. Emma felt her face get warm. She felt genuinely happy in that moment, realizing that someone she really liked actually felt the same way about her. She wished the feeling could last.

"So," Ross started, gently caressing Emma's wrists with his fingers. "You like me. And I like you. But... you don't want to kiss me?" He asked her, still confused. "Is it because of what happened at the party last night? You know I would never treat you like that." As Emma felt Ross's fingers touch her hand, she only wanted to hold his hand. But she knew she shouldn't. "I know." Emma told him. "That's not why. Look, Ross." Emma started. She looked at the perfect boy in front of her, and payed attention to the things about him that she liked the most. Like the way his eyes sparkled. And how his natural hair color could be seen at his roots. 'But my favorite thing,' Emma thought, feeling her eyes start to become moist. 'Is the fact that he cares so much about everyone he meets.' Emma looked back up at Ross, her eyes started to tear up. "Ross. I'm leaving in two days-" "I know that." Ross told her. "But that doesn't mean we couldn't date. And maybe I could visit you some weekends, or over the summer." Emma looked up at the boy in disbelief. "Ross, have you ever been in a long-distance relationship? They never work out-" "Have you ever been in one?" Ross asked her. His eyes had started to lose the warmth Emma had seen in them before. "No, but-" "Then how do you know we couldn't make it work? I wish you would just think about it." But Emma didn't want to even consider the idea. She decided to bark back. "Look, Ross, when I came here and was away from Jackson, he cheated on me. How do you know you wouldn't find someone else once I'm gone?" "Are you serious?!" Ross yelled at Emma. "You don't know me if you think I'm anything like that jerk! You know I'd never want to hurt you!" "Funny thing is," Emma told him, once again remembering Ross's comment about her being "okay"-looking, "you already have." Before she could stop herself, she made a huge mistake.

"I over heard you talking to Calum and Noah the other day at the amusement park. Calum asked you if you were dating again yet and asked what you thought about me, and you said I was just 'okay'-looking. It's funny, I actually thought you cared more about personality than looks. But obviously, since you dated Brittany, the one and only thing you care about is how someone looks." Emma immediately wished she hadn't added that last part. Ross looked pissed. "What the hell are you talking about? I don't even remember saying that-" "Well you did say it!" Emma yelled, pushing Ross away from her and beginning to walk away from him, until something made her stop. "Then maybe there was a reason I said it!" He told her. Emma felt her heart drop. She turned around and looked at Ross, who was walking towards her. "You don't mean that." Emma told Ross. Then Ross did something that made Emma incredibly angry. He checked out her figure, then shrugged. "You're such an asshole!" Emma shouted. "You know what? I don't care what you think! I'm out of here." Emma told Ross before grabbing her purse from the counter and exiting the kitchen. She could already feel tears streaming down her face. "Good." Ross told Emma as he followed her into the hallway. "Good!" Emma shouted back at the boy. When she turned back towards the front door, she came face-to-face with Rocky and Samantha, who had just returned from their date. "What's going on in here?" Rocky asked his brother after noticing Emma's tear-streaked face. Samantha looked at Emma. "Emma? Are you okay?" Emma looked at the girl, then back at Ross. He looked angry still, until he noticed that tears were dripping down Emma's face. Before he could say anything, Emma turned back towards Samantha. "Excuse me." she said quietly before walking past Samantha and walking out the front door. She hadn't made it to her car before starting to cry uncontrollably. As Emma began driving home, she wondered if her and Ross's friendship could survive their fight.


End file.
